


When Worlds Collide

by Shaylybaby2032



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angel Wings, Angelic Grace, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Archangel Gabriel (Supernatural), Blood, Blood Magic, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Cunnilingus, Dark Magic, Demon Blood, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Grace Bonds, Grace Kink, Grace Sharing, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Torture, Oral Sex, Past Torture, Possessive Gabriel, Protective Gabriel, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Smut, Stolen Grace, Torture, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Wall Sex, Wicked Grace, Wing Kink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-07-07 13:34:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 172,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15909273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaylybaby2032/pseuds/Shaylybaby2032
Summary: Before Sam Winchester asked for Arianna and her brothers’ help in saving Dean, the young woman had met the recently deceased Archangel Gabriel in what she had thought was a very vivid dream. However, after he walked into the war room of the bunker, she quickly realized that he was very much real. Together, along with her brothers and the rest of Team Free Will, they work to not only rescue Dean, but to stop Michael from destroying the world.And along the way, she learns that Gabriel is quite possibly more to her than she ever thought he could be...





	1. The Angel Expert

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is dedicated to my two very dear friends, Jana and Sara. Without their encouragement and support, this story wouldn't have been possible. Thank you,  
> ladies!

 

 

 

**When Worlds Collide**

 

**Chapter 1: The Angel Expert**

 

_Arianna Lawson was a normal girl. She had two older brothers, Luke and Jay, whom she spent most of her days with. She was beautiful, even though she didn't know it. She was also incredibly smart. Perfectly normal, except for one thing_ **:** _she and her brothers were hunters._  
_  
_

_Being hunters of the supernatural, she encountered things that would send most people running for the hills. Vampires, angry spirits, angels, demons, werewolves, and a few Pagan gods thrown in here and there were just a few of the things she had encountered in her life as a hunter. So, maybe she wasn't exactly normal. The strange and weird seemed to dominate most of her days. But, the situation she had just been dropped into, was weird even for her._

 

_Arianna groaned in pain as she laid on her side on the cold hard ground. Her whole body ached. She felt like she had just went through a spin cycle in an old clothes washer. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position as she took in her surroundings and what she saw wasn't what she expected._

 

_She was lying in the middle of a plain black top road. On one side of the road ran an enormous stone wall as far side to side as she could see. She looked up to see how far the wall went up and saw no end in sight. Across the road was a dark forest straight out of Shakespeare's ‘'A Midsummer Night's Dream’, which emitted a feeling of dread._

 

_She could hear the growls and other inhuman sounds coming from the forest. As she looked closer she could have sworn she saw two sets of eyes watching her every move._

 

_“Where the hell am I?” she wondered aloud._

 

_She got to her feet and quickly dusted the dirt from the road off her dark blue jeans, black t-shirt, and unbuttoned long sleeve purple flannel shirt. Not wanting to make any more sudden movements than she had to in case something was watching her, she slowly reached behind her back to where she usually had her gun in her waist band._

 

_There was no gun._

 

_“Well shit.”_

 

_She reached her hand up and tucked a stray lock of her long blonde hair behind her ear as she took another look around with her sapphire blue eyes. That's when she spotted something in the middle of the road in front of her. It was quite a ways up the road, so she couldn't really make out exactly what it was. Making a quick decision, she knelt down and pulled her right pants leg up about mid calf; she kept a knife there in a sheath. Right now though, there was no knife. She angrily pulled her pants leg back down._

 

_“I've got to be dreaming,” she said aloud to nothing or no one in particular._

 

_The last thing she remembered was laying down in her bed in the hotel room she and her brothers were sharing. The three of them had just finished taking down a poltergeist in Salina, Kansas. She was so very grateful when she collapsed onto that lumpy hotel bed so she could close her eyes at last._

 

_Then she opened her eyes to this fresh hell. If this was a dream, she knew whatever was lying in the road up ahead was probably her key to waking up. So, she cautiously started walking towards it. She made sure to constantly keep watch on her surroundings._

 

_As she got closer, she started to make out a black leather jacket and black pants. Then she saw the dark sandy blonde hair._

 

_“Oh shit! It's a person!”  she exclaimed, and started to run toward them._

 

_When she reached the person lying in the road she immediately dropped to her knees beside them. It was a man. His eyes were closed and his dark blonde hair was a mess, but she could tell it was probably long enough to reach the middle of his neck. He wore a green and red shirt under his black leather jacket. She looked closer and saw that the red on his shirt was blood from a stab wound in the middle of his chest._

 

_Not sure what else to do she put two fingers on the pulse point on his neck to see if she could find a heartbeat. After finding none, she pulled her hand from his neck and placed both hands over his wound._

 

_“How do I help you?” she muttered._

 

_No sooner had the words left her lips, a purple glow started to emit from between her hands and the man’s chest. Her eyes widened as she watched the gleaming light grow brighter and brighter until suddenly there was a loud POP and a gust of wind knocked her flat on her back._

 

_As quickly as she could she scrambled back to a kneeling position beside the man in front of her. When she looked at him again, all traces of his wound were gone, including the blood and damage to his clothing._

_Before she could process the sight in front of her, the man suddenly took in a sharp breath and his eyes shot open. He quickly sat up and locked his eyes on to hers. His eyes were the color of sunshine through a glass of honey whiskey and they instantly took her breath away. As she took in the rest of him she quickly realized everything about him was pretty breathtaking._

 

_As if he suddenly remembered what had happened to him, he grabbed at his chest and looked down. His eyes widened when he saw that there was no wound. He slowly looked back up at her._

 

_“Did you heal me?” he asked._

 

_She shook her head, trying to formulate words, “What?! Me?! No! At least...I don't think so. But, I'm pretty sure all of this is some crazy dream brought on by too much poltergeist research and not nearly enough sleep.”_

 

_“You're a hunter? And by the way, this isn't a dream, Sugar,” he said with a smile._

 

_“Says the guy who just came back from the dead. Yes, I'm a hunter. Who or what are you?_

 

_The man with the golden eyes got to his feet. He offered her his hand to help her up. “My name is Gabriel. And you are?”_

 

_She took his hand and let him help her to her feet. Standing in front of him, she looked up into his face, studying him. Who was this guy and why did she feel so drawn to him? With her head only coming to the top of his chin, she had to crane her neck slightly to steal another glance at his amber eyes. When he raised a questioning eyebrow at her, she quickly looked away._

 

_“My name is Arianna. If this isn't a dream, then where the hell are we?” she asked, looking back in his direction, making sure to avoid eye contact._

 

_Gabriel swept a hand through his hair and looked around. As his eyes settled on the stone wall, he spoke. “From the looks of it, I would say Akashic.”_

 

_Arianna’s mouth fell open as she followed the path of his gaze. She tore her eyes from the wall back to the forest._

 

_“Well, that explains the creepy ass forest,” she said matter of factly._

 

_Taken aback by her calm demeanor, Gabriel's eyes snapped back to her. “You're awfully calm about all of this.”_

 

_She gave a short laugh and smiled as she looked back to him, suddenly caught off guard from the feeling she got when she realized she was looking in his honey eyes again. She shook her head to clear it, looking to the wall as she spoke._

 

_“In my line of work, if you aren't well informed you end up dead, or worse. I've done my research on places like Purgatory, The Empty, and Akashic.” She turned to look at Gabriel. “Why are_ you _so calm? You did just come back from the dead, well kind of, if we really are in Akashic that is. I'm still convinced I'm dreaming, considering I don't remember dying or pissing off a Reaper.”_

 

_Gabriel hesitated before he answered, making sure to choose his words wisely, “The band of merry hunters I was working with right before I was killed have a habit of getting into situations like this. If I had to guess I would say they had something to do with this. God knows they don't know how to leave well enough alone.”_

 

_She looked at him contemplating his answer. “Did you_ want _to stay dead?”_

 

_Again taken by surprise at her response, he changed the subject. “So, what do you know about Akashic, Ari?”_

 

_Arianna put her hands on her hips, “Akashic is the central plane of existence. It connects all the other planes and all the different realities. The forest is basically everything that was too evil to coexist with the Leviathans in Purgatory, and the souls of the poor people who pissed off a Reaper enough to make the Reaper quote-unquote ‘lose the soul in transition to either heaven or hell.’ Somewhere along this wall, there are doors leading to Heaven, Hell, The Empty, Purgatory, and back to Earth. The trick is picking the right one, because there are an infinite number of alternate realities, and Akashic is at the center of every single one of them. Pick the wrong door and you could end up in a very different world. Normally though, the only ones coming through here are Reapers escorting a soul to the appropriate after life for the reality they are from, or dropping them in the forest. Of course, when they get to this point, the souls no longer have a physical body. So knowing all this, why are we still in our physical bodies? Since I know I'm not dead and you_ were _dead; you should have been brought to heaven or hell. Or if you pissed off a Reaper, dropped in the forest.”_

 

_Gabriel stared at her wide eyed for a moment, clearly impressed with her knowledge._

 

_“You seem a little more than well informed,” he said, smiling at her._

 

_“And you seem a little more than accepting of all of this,” she returned his smile._

 

_“We all have our secrets, I guess,” he said as he started walking towards the wall._

 

_“I guess so,” she said as she followed him._

 

_When he reached the wall he hesitantly held out his hand and touched it. When doors began to appear on every inch of the wall, spanning down further than their eyes could see. Arianna let out a gasp behind him. He turned to look at her, but before he could speak the doors suddenly vanished and the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently, throwing Arianna off balance and into Gabriel. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to catch her, but they both fell to the ground._

 

_She felt it the moment his arms were around her; it was an instant jolt of what felt like electricity to her system. For a moment, as she stared into those whiskey eyes again, she forgot where she was. There was some kind of connection with this man, but she couldn't figure out what it was._

 

_She was quickly reminded of their situation as a large piece of stone crashed to the ground beside their heads. Gabriel quickly got them both to their feet. He pushed Arianna up against the wall, shielding her with his body from the falling debris. There was also a shadow behind his back that she couldn’t quite make out that seemed to be covering them both._

 

_“What the hell is happening?!” Arianna shouted._

 

_“I have a feeling we've pissed something off by being the only living things in Akashic,”  he said as he pushed her closer to the wall with his body in an effort to shield her more._

 

_Her hands were on his chest and as a particularly large piece of stone fell mere inches from them she screamed. As she screamed, the purple glow from before emitted its light between them again. They both stared at it in awe as it got brighter and brighter and suddenly……._

 

Arianna set bolt upright in her bed, covered in sweat and breathing hard. She ran her hands through her hair as she quickly looked around the room. It was the same hotel room she and her brothers had checked into earlier that night after taking care of a poltergeist. All the lights were off, but light peeked out from the dingy orange drapes onto the carpet of the same shade. The outdated TV was across from the foot of her bed and to the left her brother, Jay, slept soundly on a brown couch. Across from the couch her other brother, Luke, slept soundly on the room’s other bed.

 

Looking down at herself, she saw the same clothes she had fallen into bed with, giving her a tangible sense of calm about what she had just experienced.

 

“It really was just a dream,” she whispered to herself as she laid back down, rubbing her eyes. “Guess it was better than the normal nightmares.”

 

Her mind was still racing. It had felt so vivid, so real. What had even brought the dream on? Why had it felt so real? And what about Gabriel? Who was he supposed to be? She could still picture his smile and his golden amber eyes. It seemed to be the only thing her mind wanted to focus on. She had felt a connection with him. But, why? How?

 

She attempted to clear her head by shaking it. It didn't really help. She rolled over on her side and glanced at the old digital clock on the nightstand between the two beds. It read 5:30 am. She sighed and tried to force herself to go back to sleep. Just before sleep took over her mind she went back to those beautiful honey whiskey eyes.

 

“It’s a shame he was just a dream,” she thought, before she completely fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

Sam Winchester, Castiel, and Jack sat around a table in the library of the bunker. Sam was on his laptop, open books and scraps of paper littering the table around him. Castiel had his full attention on the book that lay open in front of him, writing things down every so often. Jack had fallen asleep on the open book before him. They had all been desperately trying to find a way to bring Dean back.

 

They had returned to Apocalypse world with the intent on saving Mary and Jack, wanting to bring them home. While they had brought Mary and Jack home, they also returned with twenty-something Apocalypse world refugees. In the process, however, they had lost the only Archangel that had ever remotely been on their side. Gabriel had sacrificed himself in order for Sam and Dean to not only get themselves and everyone else back to their world, but to also keep the Archangel Michael in his world. Unfortunately, his sacrifice had been in vain, and Michael had found a way into their world, bringing Lucifer with him.

 

After stealing Jack’s grace, Lucifer had kidnapped Jack, dragging Sam along when he tried to intervene. He had planned to kill them both at an abandoned church, but in an attempt to save his brother and Jack, and to kill Lucifer, Dean had said yes to Michael in exchange for his powers while being possessed. After succeeding, Michael had taken over quickly and disappeared.

 

A week later, Team Free Will tried to find something, anything, that would help them get Dean back and maybe, if they were lucky, a way to bring Gabriel back as well. Sam had sent Mary and Apocalypse World Bobby to help the other refugees find somewhere safe to stay while he, Castiel, and Jack searched for answers. And, if he was being completely honest with himself, he just needed everyone out of the bunker so he could concentrate.

 

At the moment, Sam was doing his best to follow a lead on a spell that pulled an angel out of their vessel. Unfortunately, he had hit a dead end about an hour before, and he had just been going in a circle of web pages since then. Frustrated, he shoved his laptop away from himself and rubbed his face with his hands in an attempt to make his fatigue go away. He had slept maybe eight hours in the past seven days, and he was feeling it.

 

Castiel looked up from the book he was reading. “Sam, maybe you should try and get some sleep,” he suggested. “You can't help if you can't hold your head up.”

 

Sam looked at the angel sitting across from him, “What are we missing, Cas? There has to be something.”

 

Cas opened his mouth to speak, but a loud crash coming from the direction of the war room interrupted him. Jack’s head shot up and he looked to Sam and Cas, who had turned their heads in the direction of the crash. They slowly stood from the table, Cas and Jack grabbing angel blades, Sam drawing his gun from behind his back.

 

The three cautiously made their way to the war room, Sam leading the way. They all held their weapons ready to fight. However, as they entered, they lowered their weapons and stared with wide, astonished eyes.

 

There, laying on top of the map table, was Gabriel. He was still in the same black leather jacket, green shirt, and black pants he was wearing when he died, except now there was no evidence Michael had ever killed him.

 

Sam, Jack, and Castiel stood frozen in the entrance of the war room. They stared at Gabriel, not knowing exactly what to do. Gabriel stirred and groaned, and pushed himself into a sitting position. Castiel was the first to react and ran to Gabriel’s side; Sam and Jack quickly followed suit.

 

Gabriel opened his eyes when all three made it to his side. He took in their stunned expressions and then realized where he was..

 

“What the hell!? I died! What did you do?! How the hell did I get back here?” Gabriel demanded, searching all of their faces.

 

“You tell us. We didn't do anything. We couldn't find anyway to bring you back,” Sam replied.

 

Gabriel shifted and moved himself off table and into one of the chairs that circled it. “The last thing I remember is Michael killing me.”

 

“Were you in the Empty?” Castiel asked.

 

“If I was, I don't remember,” Gabriel answered once again, looking at the three of them. It finally dawned on him who was missing. “Where’s Dean?”

 

Sam and Castiel hung their heads frowning.

 

Jack was the one that finally spoke. “A lot has happened since you've been gone.”

 

* * *

 

Arianna opened her eyes a couple hours later to the sun shining in her face through the gap in the drapes. She groaned and rolled over to look at the clock. It read 7:30 am. She felt like she hadn't slept at all. She looked to each of her brothers. Both were still sleeping. She sighed and drug herself out of bed and to the duffle bag on the floor at its foot.

 

She opened the bag and pulled out the first pair of blue jeans and black t-shirt she came to. She dug a little more and pulled out a long sleeve baby blue flannel shirt as well. She stood and then made her way to the bathroom to change.

 

A few minutes later she came out of the bathroom, wearing the flannel shirt unbuttoned. She took her car keys and phone out of her duffle bag and decided that as long as she was up, she might as well go get breakfast for everyone. She made her way to the nightstand and quickly wrote a note in case her brothers woke up while she was gone.

 

_Went to get food. Be back soon._

_Love,_

_Ari_

 

She then grabbed one of the hotel keys that also lay on the nightstand and made her way out the door to her car.

 

* * *

 

 

Sam, Jack, and Castiel stood around the map table in the war room of the bunker watching Gabriel pace back and forth, trying to wrap his mind around the information they had just told him. He suddenly stopped pacing and turned to them.

 

“So, let me get this straight: I get killed, making sure you muttonheads can get yourselves and everyone else on the safe side of the rift. Oh yeah, not to mention to also keep Michael and Lucifer in Apocalypse world. Yet somehow they STILL find a way into our world?! Lucifer stole Jack’s nephilim grace, but on the bright side, Lucifer is dead, but, oh wait, Winchester luck sucks! Not only is Michael in our world but, Dean said yes to him and he now has his perfect vessel. And to top everything off, my grace is still running low! You do realize how uberly boned we are right?!” Gabriel ranted, then sank down onto a chair, propping his elbows on the table and covering his face with his hands. “Why couldn't I just stay dead?”

 

Sam, Castiel, and Jack joined Gabriel at the table.

 

Gabriel brought his face up to look at them. “So now what do we do?” he asked.

 

Sam and Castiel shared a surprised glance. “You still want to help us?” Sam asked cautiously.

 

Gabriel sat back in his chair and sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, “Not really much of a choice at this point now is there? Plus, I've come this far. Might as well finish taking on the Empire.”

 

For the first time in a week Sam felt the slightest bit of relief. Getting Gabriel back had seemed completely impossible, but yet he was sitting in front of him alive. Maybe there was hope for Dean as well.

 

“Thank you, Gabriel,” Sam said

 

Gabriel nodded. “What now?”

 

Sam and Castiel once again lowered their heads. “We don't know,” Castiel answered.

 

Jack, who had been watching the whole exchange finally spoke up. “I may have an idea.”

 

All three of them looked at him. He took their silence as encouragement to keep talking.

 

“OK, when we were over in the other world, on the few calm nights that we had, everyone would sit around the fire and talk. They told Mary and I a lot about how things got to the point they were at. When Michael first started his reign of terror, a lot of people took it upon themselves to learn as much as they could about angels. Then, there were a select few that they called ‘angel experts’. These people had found knowledge about angels that not even the angels knew. For a while it gave them the upper hand. That is, until Michael figured out who they were and hunted them down one by one. Maybe we could find someone in our world that has that kind of information on the angels. Do you think maybe it’s possible?”  Jack looked to Castiel waiting for his response. He noticed Sam watching Castiel as well.

 

“It is possible. With everything that has happened over the years, it is quite possible someone has taken it upon themselves to learn as much as they can about Angels,” Castiel said.

 

“Cas is right,” Gabriel agreed. “Dear old dad included a lot in the makings of angels and Archangels that we don't even know about ourselves. If a human was dedicated enough, they could find out the information. Question is, how do we even begin looking for someone like that?”

 

Silence fell between the three of them at the realization of yet another possible dead end. But then a light bulb went off in Sam’s head. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and began scrolling through his contacts looking for a certain name. When he found it he smiled. He looked up to see the others eyeing him closely. He quickly explained.

 

“So get this, Dean and I met this hunter years ago, Dylan. Do you remember, Cas? You met him once.”

 

“Yes, I remember him,” Castiel said.

 

“Well about a year or so ago, he called needing some help taking out a vamp nest. So, Dean and I went to help him. After we took care of the vamps, we went to a local bar to grab a beer. During the course of that night he had mentioned this hunter he had run into and said she knew more about angels than anyone he had ever met. He said that he was pretty sure she knew more about angels than they knew about themselves. It’s a long shot, but it’s at least worth a phone call maybe,” Sam continued.

 

Sam looked at the others with his thumb hovering over the send button of his phone.

 

“What have we got to lose?” Gabriel said, waving his hand towards Sam’s phone, indicating him to make the call.

 

Sam pressed the send button on the phone and then put it on speaker. He set the phone in the middle of the table as it began to ring. Dylan answered on the fourth ring.

 

“Sam Winchester! It’s definitely been a minute since I've heard from you! How the hell are ya, brother? How’s Dean?” Dylan’s voice was cheerful through the speaker on the phone.

 

“Hey Dylan, we have actually been better to be honest,” Sam replied. He simply didn't have the energy to pretend everything was OK.

 

“What's wrong, Sam? Is Dean OK?” The cheerfulness in Dylan’s voice was now replaced with dread.

 

“No, he's really not. That's why I'm calling. I could really use your help.”

 

“Whatever I can do to help. Just name it.”

 

“I was hoping you could get me in contact with someone.”

 

“If I got the contact, I will.”

 

“After we helped you take down the vamp nest in Tennessee, and we were having a beer at that bar, you mentioned another hunter who you said knew more about angels than anyone you had ever met.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, her name is Arianna Lawson. She hunts with her brothers, Luke and Jay. I swear, that girl knows more about angels than they know about themselves. I know she's who I’d call if I've got angel problems. I haven't talked to any of them in a few weeks, but I'm pretty sure I still have Arianna’s current number. Let me tell ya though, that girl is a feisty one. Beyond hot too.”

 

“Yeah, well do you think you could get me in contact with her?”

 

Dylan took a pause before he spoke again, “Yeah, Sam, I don't have a problem giving her a call for you and passing along your number. I can't make any promises for her though. She and her brothers have a pretty heavy distrust in angels. They honestly have every right to not trust them though. Let’s just say they haven't exactly had the best experiences with them. So, I would be wary about bringing Cas around them.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind. If you could make the call I would really appreciate it.”

 

“Yeah, I’ll do it right now. Either I’ll call you back with a no-go or you will have an unknown number pop up on your phone. Bye, Sam.”

 

“Thanks Dylan. Bye.”

 

Sam reached over to his phone and hit the end button. They all watched as the screen went black. All they could do now was wait for the phone to ring.

 

* * *

 

Arianna walked across the parking lot of the diner she had just exited towards her dark blue 1979 Chevy Camaro Z28. She carried a large plastic bag filled with food for her and her brothers in one hand and her car keys in the other. When she reached the car she unlocked and opened the passenger side door and sat the bag of food in the seat. She then made her way to the driver’s side of the car and got in. No sooner had she shut the door her phone, laid on the dash, began to ring.

 

She put the keys in the ignition and grabbed her phone. When she looked at the screen it displayed the name “Dylan”. She tapped the answer button and held the phone to her ear.

 

“Hi, Dylan,” she said.

 

“Hey there, Ari! How are you and your brothers?”

 

“We’re good, just finished a job in Salina, Kansas.”

 

“Really? What was the job?”

 

Arianna held the phone with her shoulder as she reached to turn the key in the ignition. “Come on, Dylan. You and I both know you didn't call just to shoot the breeze. What's on your mind?” she said, placing the phone back in her hand.

 

“Well to be honest, I have a friend that is needing to pick your brain for your angel expertise.”

 

“And who is your friend?”

 

Dylan paused for a moment, “Um...Sam Winchester.”

 

Arianna’s mouth fell open in surprise, “As in, THE Sam Winchester?”

 

“Yeah that's him. I take it you've heard of him and his brother, Dean?”

 

Arianna laughed, “Any hunter worth their rock salt has heard of Sam and Dean Winchester. They're a wee bit legendary. I had no idea you knew them personally though.”

 

Dylan laughed, “Yeah, legendary, that's definitely the word for those two. But, yeah, I met them a few years ago. They actually helped me take down a vamp nest in Tennessee about a year ago.”

 

“What do they need me for? Don't they have that one angel that's always around them?”

 

“Come on, Ari. You and I both know you know more about angels than they probably know about themselves. But, either way, he asked if I could get you in contact with them. What do ya say?”

 

“I don't know, man. More often than not the people that get close to the Winchesters end up dying bloody. Not to mention their habit of working with angels.”

 

“Hey I'm still alive, so there are exceptions. And I've met Castiel, and he's alright. He's loyal as family to Sam and Dean.”

 

“It just sounds like a bad idea. Whatever they are mixed up in is probably another world ending epidemic.”

 

“His brother is in trouble, Ari. If Sam Winchester is asking for help, then he really needs it.”

 

Arianna sighed and leaned her head against the headrest of her seat. She had a feeling she was going to regret this. “Fine, text me his number and I’ll call him now.”

 

“You are amazing, Ari. Thank you.”

 

Arianna laughed. “Yeah, if I die I'm coming back to specifically haunt you.”

 

She hung up the phone and laid it in her lap. She put her car into drive and began to drive out of the parking lot. As she reached the exit her text notification rang. Pulling out onto the highway, she picked her phone up to open the text. She took a deep breath and tapped on the phone number Dylan had sent her, causing it to show up in the dialer of her phone. When she exhaled, she pressed send.

 

It had barely rung once when Sam answered. “Arianna?” he asked.

 

“Hiya, Sam. My friend, Dylan, said you needed to speak with me.”

 

Sam was quiet for a moment; she could almost feel his apprehension. She heard him sigh before he finally spoke.

 

“Yeah, I'm needing someone who knows a lot about angels.”

 

“Don't you have an angel that you hang around with?”

 

“Yeah, I do, but we need more in depth information than any of us have or can seem to find, and according to Dylan, you're the girl to talk to.”

 

“What exactly is it you are needing to know, Sam?”

 

Sam hesitated again before he spoke. “There are actually a few angel related issues we could use your help on. It might be easier if we could meet so I could explain everything in person. This isn't really the type of conversation you should have over the phone.”

 

This time it was Arianna’s turn to hesitate. “Where are you?” she finally asked.

 

“Lebanon, Kansas.”

 

“I really need to talk to my brothers about this before I say yes or no, Sam.”

 

“Absolutely, I understand that. Normally I would say take your time as well, but time really is of the essence for us right now.”

 

Arianna pulled into the parking lot of her hotel and parked in the space in front of her room next to Luke’s 1971 black Dodge Charger.

 

“I get that. I just pulled into the parking lot of my hotel. Give me thirty minutes to talk to my brothers. We are in Salina, about two hours from you. Text me directions to where you are and I’ll text you soon.”

 

“Thank you, Arianna. I really appreciate this.”

 

“Don't thank me yet. I have to talk my guard dog brothers into working with an angel first. They aren't the biggest fans of the winged dicks.”

 

“So I've heard. Either way though, thank you.”

 

“I’ll text you soon, Sam. Bye.”

 

“Bye, Arianna.”

 

Arianna took the phone from her ear, hit the end button, and laid the phone in her lap. She stared at it for a moment. Logically, she knew she should keep this situation at arms length and tell Sam he would just have to accept getting information over the phone.

 

The moment she heard Sam’s voice though, something told her that she was going to end up helping him. She couldn't explain it, but she felt almost drawn to whatever situation Sam had gotten himself into. She just simply felt meeting Sam and helping him was something she had to do. Now, she only needed to convince her brothers.

 

She looked up at her hotel room door just in time to see it open. Luke walked out smiling and waving at her.

 

She halfheartedly returned his smile. “Well this is going to be a fun conversation,” she thought sarcastically.

 

* * *

 

Arianna sat on the end of Luke’s bed, looking at her two older brothers sitting on the brown couch across from her. She had just finished telling them about her conversations with Dylan and Sam. Her eyes kept looking back and forth between them as she twirled a lock of hair between her fingers. She was waiting for their response, bracing for an argument..

 

Luke and Jay were fraternal twins. Both had good looks, were six feet tall with emerald green eyes, and had athletic builds. But that was where the similarities ended. Luke, older by two minutes, had dark brown chestnut hair with a strong sharp jawline while Jay had blonde hair like Arianna, with a softer set of features.

 

Luke spoke up first, “Have you lost your mind, Ari!? You want to work with a Winchester? A Winchester?! You've heard about the shit they get themselves into! Not to mention how much they just love working with angels. And now you just want to go jump into the fray with them?! Why?!” he was standing and shouting by the time he finished.

 

Arianna jumped up from her spot on the bed and walked towards him, anger starting to burn in her expression.

 

“Don't you dare yell at me, Luke. I'm not a child!” she said, making an effort to keep her voice calm.

 

“Then maybe you shouldn't act like one!” Luke shouted at her.

 

Jay looked down at the floor and shook his head. “Oh here we go,” he said to himself.

 

“Me?! I'm acting like a child?! Please, Luke, explain to me how helping someone who clearly needs our help is acting like a child! I was under the impression that helping people is what we fucking do!” She was starting to lose the battle of keeping her voice calm.

 

“It’s childish because you are willingly aligning yourself with the same dicks that have hurt you in the past! Or have you forgotten what Raphael did to you, because if you have just take off that flannel shirt and remind yourself!” Luke said, gesturing towards her arms.

 

Arianna’s calm was completely gone now, “Are you fucking kidding me?! You are going to low blow me like that?! First of all Luke, no I haven't forgotten about what that dick with wings did to me. Believe me, there are nights I still wake up screaming from the nightmares! But he's dead! Second, I've done what I can to move on from what Raphael did to me by learning everything that I can in order to maybe stop those winged asshats from hurting someone else! And another thing, not all angels are the same as the ones we've encountered. Dylan fully vouched for Castiel, and considering all the good they have done, and how many things they have survived, I'm putting my money on the Winchesters knowing which angels are to be trusted!”

 

Luke opened his mouth to yell back, but Jay jumped to his feet between them and cut him off. “Alright you two, that's enough! We fight monsters not each other!”

 

Arianna and Luke both stared at their brother for a moment before visibly relaxing and trying to calm themselves down.

 

“Everyone calm?” Jay asked.

 

His brother and sister nodded.

 

“Alright then. Luke, you aren't going to like this, but Ari is right. Helping people is what we do. Sam Winchester wouldn't have gone looking for Ari if he didn't really need her help. I vote we go and at least see what he has to say. If we don't like it we can leave.”

 

Luke still looked unconvinced as he crossed his arms over his chest. Arianna walked up and put both her hands on his arm.

 

“Luke, his brother is in trouble and he's obviously run out of options. What if it was Jay or myself? What would you do then?” Arianna said. Her calm had returned to her.

 

Luke sighed loudly. “Fine! Let's go see what he has to say.” He grabbed his duffle bag and walked out of the hotel room, closing the door behind him.

 

Jay and Arianna looked at each other, then went to grab their own duffle bags. When they both reached the door Jay stopped and looked at his sister.

 

“Is there another reason you are dead set on helping Sam?” he asked her.

 

“I can't explain it, Jay. I just feel like this is something I need to do.”

 

“OK, sis. Then I got your back.”

 

Jay opened the door and let Arianna walk through first. He closed the door behind him and made his way towards the passenger side of Luke’s car. As Arianna walked to her own car, she pulled out her phone and quickly typed out a message to Sam.

 

_“On our way. See you in two hours.”_

 

She pressed send on her message and got in her own car. As she closed the door and started the engine, Sam’s reply came to her phone.

 

“ _Thank you, Arianna.”_

 

She pulled out of her parking space and started on her way to what Sam had called The Bunker. Luke followed close behind her.

 

* * *

 

 

Two hours later, Sam opened the entrance door to the bunker for Arianna, Luke, and Jay. The three hunters walked in and Sam shut and locked the door behind them before turning to Arianna.

 

He held out his hand. “Thank you all so much for coming.”

 

Arianna reached out her hand and shook Sam’s. “I just hope we can help.”

 

She dropped Sam’s hand and gestured toward her brothers. “These are my brothers, Luke and Jay.”

 

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Sam said, shaking Luke and Jay’s hands.

 

Luke simply nodded and stayed silent, earning a light elbow jab to his ribs from Arianna. He ignored it.

 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Sam,” Jay said, trying to be friendly enough for him and his twin both.

 

Sam then led the three of them down the stairs into the war room. As they descended the stairs, all three of their expressions changed to ones of awe as they took in the room around them. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Arianna quickly walked towards the map table, walking around it and examining every inch of it.

 

“Wow! This place is amazing!” Jay said almost breathlessly.

 

Sam smiled, “Thanks, it’s home.”

 

Arianna had made her way over to the left of the room to examine the electronic mechanisms on the wall. She was nearly bouncing with excitement and quickly turned to look at Sam.

 

“Sam! You didn't tell me you lived in an old Men of Letters bunker!” she exclaimed.

 

Sam looked at her with surprise. “How did you know?” he asked.

 

Arianna smiled at him. “When I first started researching angels, I ran into a lot of sources that came from the Men of Letters. In order to verify their information, I had to research them too. Never thought I would actually get to see one of their bunkers though! Is this one fully equipped?”

 

“Fully equipped?” Sam asked, not sure exactly what she meant.

 

“Does it have living quarters along with the libraries, war room, and storage rooms?”

 

Sam smiled at her again. “Yeah, we have everything we need to live here.”

 

Arianna opened her mouth to speak again, but Luke cut her off. “Alright, enough with the small talk. Can we get to the reason why we are here. Also, where is the angel?”

 

Arianna dropped her smile. “Luke! There is no need to be a dick! I'm sorry, Sam.”

 

“No, it’s OK. I get it. They are in the library. Dylan mentioned you guys hadn't had the best experiences with angels. We all decided it was best if I met with you first.”

 

Hearing the word ‘they’ Arianna, Luke, and Jay looked at each other. Arianna crossed the room to stand between her brothers.

 

“What do you mean ‘they’, Sam? How many angels do you have here?” Luke demanded

 

Sam swallowed hard. He looked a little nervous now, “Well, there’s two and a nephilim.” He saw their eyes widen and started to talk faster before they could react. “I know, I should have told you it was more than Cas, but please just hear me out. When Dylan called back after I spoke with Arianna, he said you knew about Castiel. Jack is a nephilim, but his nephilim grace was stolen. The other angel isn't at full power; his name is Gabriel.”

 

Arianna gasped sharply and felt her heart jump into her throat as her stomach dropped to her feet. There was no way...

 

“GABRIEL?! THE ARCHANGEL?!” Luke shouted, anger clearly in his voice

 

Arianna felt like she couldn't breathe. There was no way the guy in her dream and the Archangel could be the same. Could they? It was just a dream. Wasn't it?

 

“Yeah, we aren't sticking around anywhere with a fucking Archangel! The only thing that comes from being around one of them is blood!” Luke said, grabbing Arianna’s arm and pulling her towards the stairs and breaking her out of her train of thought.

 

“Luke! Please! Gabriel isn't like his brothers! He actually gives a damn about humanity. He's proven his loyalty to us just like Cas has,” Sam pleaded

 

Luke wasn't listening. He grabbed Jay’s arm and started pulling him towards the stairs too. Jay quickly and forcefully pulled away from him. Arianna did as well.

 

“Luke, I'm not going anywhere!” Arianna said defiantly.

 

Luke just looked at her, and then at his twin.

 

“I'm with Ari,” Jay said, putting his arm around his sister.

 

Realizing he was outnumbered again, Luke slumped against the railing of the stairs and ran a hand through his short brown hair, “This is a bad idea guys. You both know what happened the last time we ran into an Archangel.”

 

Ignoring Luke’s last comment, Arianna pulled away from Jay and walked towards Sam. Her mind raced the entire way.

 

It was true the last Archangel they had encountered had almost killed her. She still had the scars to remind her of it. If not for the help of an old, Cajun, psychic witch and her grandson he would have killed her. Since she never wanted to be caught unprepared, helpless, against an angel ever again, she used the encounter as a reason to learn everything she could about them. She would never put herself in the same room with an angel, let alone two, and most definitely not with an Archangel. But, for some reason, the moment she had first heard Sam’s voice, she had known she would end up helping him.

 

She just never thought she would hear him say the name Gabriel.

 

“I'm sorry, Sam. You will have to forgive my brother. He may not know how to go about it right, but he means well. He has his reasons,” Arianna explained.

 

Sam tore his eyes from Luke to Arianna “It’s OK. My big brother is the same way.”

 

Arianna took a deep breath and exhaled. “Well, let’s get this over with. Let’s meet the angels.”

 

Arianna felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Jay standing beside her, asking her with his eyes if she really was OK with all of this. She smiled and nodded at him. He smiled back at her and squeezed her shoulder lightly. Luke kept his position near the stairs.

 

“Ari’s right. Let’s do this,” Jay said, dropping his hand from her shoulder and looking to Sam.

 

Sam looked between them. He still seemed a little unsure, but he walked to the threshold of the war room and called for his friends. “Guys! Come on in here, please.”

 

Anxiety suddenly took Arianna over again. She kept repeating in her head that it had just been a dream, that the Gabriel that was about to walk into the room was not going to be the same Gabriel that was in her dream. It had just been a dream...

 

The first to walk in was a tall man with striking blue eyes and wearing a trench coat. She remembered hearing descriptions of Castiel from other hunters, and this guy fit every one.

 

The second to walk in was a younger guy who looked a lot like a younger version of the trench coated angel. He had to be Jack.

 

“ _So far so good,”_ Arianna thought to herself.

 

When the third man walked in she felt her stomach drop again. She felt like she couldn't breathe. It was him, there was no doubt. He was even wearing the same clothes. And those honey whiskey eyes were a dead give away. The shadow she had seen, that had seemed to be coming from behind him, that had surrounded them in her dream, now made sense. It was his wings. He had been shielding her with his wings.

 

She watched him cross the room to join the other two next to Sam. She held her breath as she waited for his eyes to fall on her. She needed to see if he knew her, but when their eyes met she didn't see anything that led her to believe he recognized her.

 

The next few moments ran together for her as Sam introduced every one to each other. Luke simply stood in the back of the room and nodded at each introduction. Jay once again, trying to be friendly enough for both him and his twin, shook each of their hands. It wasn't until Gabriel was standing in front of her, looking at her with those golden amber eyes and holding out his hand to her, did her brain finally start firing properly.

 

“It’s nice to meet you Arianna,” he said.

 

“Yeah, you too,” she said, taking his hand to shake it.

 

The moment their hands touched she felt the same jolt through her system she had in her dream. She stared into his eyes and watched his expression turn from friendly to questioning.

 

“I'm sorry. Have we met before?” he asked, still holding her hand in his.

 

“I...I don't think so,” she stammered while reluctantly pulling her hand from his.

 

She quickly turned and saw Jay looking at the both of them suspiciously. She glanced over to Luke. He was watching Sam and had apparently missed the interaction. Turning back to Jay, she was met with an expression that she knew meant that they would be talking later once they could get a moment away from everyone. She could still feel Gabriel’s eyes watching her every move.

 

Luke finally spoke up from the back of the room. “Alright, everyone has met. Can we please get to the reason why we are all here?” He made no effort to hide his annoyance with the whole situation.

 

“Luke! Come on, bro! Would it kill you to not be a prick for just a minute!” Jay said, giving his twin an annoyed look.

 

“I said please,” Luke replied sarcastically.

 

Sam decided then to step in. He shot a skeptical look to Castiel, who seemed to return his sentiment.

 

“He's right. If everyone will sit down we’ll explain everything,” Sam said

 

“I think I'd rather stand,” Luke retorted.

 

Arianna shot him an angry look. He sighed and rolled his eyes, but he came to join everyone as they all sat down around the map table.

 

Before Arianna and her brothers had gotten to the bunker, the members of Team Free Will decided it would be best to tell them everything in hopes of conveying how dire the situation was. It took Sam, Castiel, Gabriel, and Jack an hour to tell Arianna, Luke, and Jay everything that had happened from the Darkness being released to Gabriel appearing in the bunker after being killed by Micheal in apocalypse world.

 

“And that's where you guys come in. We've turned over every stone we can, but we can't figure out how to get Michael out of Dean without hurting or killing him in the process. We know he probably has Dean in some dream world where he doesn't even know he's possessed anymore. And we could really use help trying to recharge Gabriel’s grace. Oh and Cas’ wings are broken too.” Sam had decided to go for broke and throw in all of their problems.

 

Now that everything was out in the open the four of them looked at Arianna, Luke, and Jay, waiting for their response.

 

Arianna was staring at her hands, clasped together on top of the table. On top of the information dump of the century, hearing how Gabriel had died and how he had just reappeared in the bunker with no clue as to how he got there had her feeling sick. The ability to convince herself it had been just a dream had started to fade, and fast. But why had it happened?

 

Luke was looking up at the ceiling, trying to wrap his brain around everything.

 

Jay was the first to speak. “Damn, y’all take the phrase ‘go big or go home’ to heart don't you?” He gave a nervous laugh and ran both of his hands through his hair.

 

“Didn't really have much of a choice in most cases,” Sam replied.

 

Jay looked at Arianna, who still stared at her hands. He knew there was more to her reaction than the situation at hand. He turned back to Sam, looking straight into his eyes.

 

“You realize how much you are asking of her, right?” he asked

 

Sam nodded, “Yes, we do, and if there were any other options we would use them. If your sister knows as much as Dylan says she does, she may be our only hope at getting ourselves prepared to take on Michael and save my brother. The three of you are more than welcome to stay here if you decide to help us. We have plenty of room and beds for all of you. Plus this bunker is the safest place for any of us to be. I've personally amped up the warding since Michael broke in. Please, help us,” he pleaded.

 

Jay looked to Luke, who stared back at him. “Don't look at me!” Luke said, “You know I don't trust this whole situation!” Luke’s expression softened as he looked at his sister. “But, if Ari still wants to help, I'll stand beside her. I still don't like this or trust the angels though,” he continued.

 

“I agree, Luke,” Jay said

 

Arianna finally looked up from her hands and to her brothers. They both nodded at her. They were both leaving this solely up to her. She glanced around the room and saw the expectant faces staring at her. She lingered on the one sitting across from her, who gazed at her with his golden eyes. He still looked like he was trying to figure out where he knew her from. She forced herself to look away from him and stood up. She looked over to her brothers one more time and smiled. They both nodded at her again.

 

Arianna walked around the table to where Sam was now standing and held out her hand.

 

“Looks like we're in, Sam,” she said, smiling as encouragingly as she could.

 

Sam smiled broadly at her and Arianna could see the relief wash over his face. Instead of shaking her hand, he grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

 

“Thank you,” he whispered, fighting back tears.

 

“We’ll get your brother back,” she whispered, returning his hug.

 


	2. Fixing Broken Angels Isn't Always Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While helping Arianna mend Castiel's wings, Gabriel is hurt. Now, Sam and Arianna must race to track down a cure while the others attempt to keep the Archangel alive until they return. Hopefully, in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of torture in this chapter. A little blood and violence as well.

**Chapter 2: Fixing Broken Angels Isn't Always Easy**

 

A few hours had passed since Arianna and her brothers had agreed to stay and help, and were repeatedly reminded of how daunting their to-do was by Luke’s sarcastic comments.

 

“Don't ask for a whole lot do ya?” Luke said once more.

 

Jay and Arianna had both finally scolded him for being rude after that.

 

Shortly after creating their to-do list, Arianna had sent Luke to retrieve the research on angels she had gathered over the years from a safe house they had in Nebraska. He had of course refused to leave her at first, which had turned into an argument that Jay had to diffuse. Finally, he had begrudgingly agreed to go.

 

Sam had then given Arianna and Jay a tour of the bunker. The library and storage room took the better part of a hour each because Arianna had to see as much as she could. In the storage room, she found most of the things she would need to mend Castiel’s wings.

 

At the end of the tour Sam had led Arianna and Jay towards the hall where all the bedrooms were located. He showed Jay to his room first and Jay happily went in to get settled.

 

Sam then walked to the room to the right of Jay’s and opened the door.

 

“I put you here, and Luke is in the room on the other side of Jay’s. My room is there, next to yours, right across from Gabe’s. Jack and Cas are across the hall from your brothers,” he explained, gesturing to each door as he spoke.

 

“Castiel and Gabriel have bedrooms?” she asked.

 

“It’s mostly just so they can have their own space,” he explained.

 

Arianna took a quick glance at the door across from Sam’s. She assumed that it must have been Dean’s, but decided against asking. Instead, she smiled and walked through the bedroom door Sam was holding open. It was a simple room with just a double bed, nightstand, desk, chair, a small couch against the right wall across from the bed, and a small sink with a large mirror next to the door.

 

Arianna walked over and laid her duffle bag she was carrying on the bed. She then turned to Sam, who was still standing in the doorway.

 

“Thank you, Sam. This is great. I'm really sorry about Luke. I promise, once you get to know him he's not a complete asshole. The three of us have been through a lot together and it’s made him really overprotective of me,” Arianna explained

 

“Don't even worry about it, Arianna. I get it. I'm sure the others do too. We are basically asking you to jump through flaming hoops,” he said, causing her to laugh.

 

“Ehh, I've been through worse. And Sam, we all just became roommates. Pretty sure you can just call me Ari.”

 

“Right, I’ll keep that in mind,” Sam said while smiling at her. After a short pause he walked further into the room. “Do you really think we can pull all this off?”

 

Arianna crossed her arms over her chest, contemplating her answer. “Mending Castiel’s wings should be easy enough. You already have most of what I need here already. Recharging Gabriel’s grace will be a challenge simply because he's an Archangel. They are basically a completely different species compared to regular angels. Jack, I just simply don't know yet. Nephilim information is beyond rare as it is. Counting Jack, there has only been like 4 ever. Jack’s grace being stolen is a first. As for Dean, I promise I will do everything in my power to help bring him home safe.”

 

Sam gave a half smile and nodded. Before anything else could be said, Jay walked in to the room.

 

“Hey Sam, do you mind if I talk to my sister?” Jay asked, resting a friendly hand on Sam’s shoulder.

 

“No, not at all. If you guys need anything just let me know, but feel free to go where ever you need to.” Sam said, and then he was out the door closing it behind him.

 

Once he was gone, Jay motioned towards the small couch in the room. He and Arianna both walked over and took a seat. She sat with her back against the armrest and pulled her knees close to her chest, looking at Jay. He let out a sigh as he let his head fall back onto the back of the couch before he turned his head to look at her.

 

“So, crazy day huh?” Arianna asked.

 

Jay laughed. “I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that God prefers to be called ‘Chuck’.”

 

“I figured you would be stuck on suddenly being roomies with an angel, an Archangel, and Lucifer’s kid.”

 

“I told you, I got your back. If you are cool with it, I'm cool with it,” he smiled reassuringly at her.

 

“Thanks, Jay.” She returned his smile.

 

“So, you want to tell me what was up with the awkwardness between you and Gabriel when you met? I mean, I know he’s an Archangel, but I got a feeling that's not what it was.”

 

Arianna took a breath and told Jay every detail about the dream she had had the night before, leaving out of course how she felt about Gabriel’s eyes and the way she felt when he had touched her. She explained how the Gabriel in her dream and the Gabriel they had met today looked exactly the same, down to the same outfit. How the way Gabriel had died in apocalypse world would have caused the same exact wound he had had in her dream. And how at this point, she couldn't convince herself it was just a dream anymore.

 

By the time she finished, Jay was staring at the ceiling wide eyed. She could tell he was trying to choose his words wisely.

 

“Well…” he started. “That's definitely not the response I was expecting.” He sat up straight and looked at her. “Why didn't you tell me earlier?”

 

“You guys were still asleep when I woke up, and after Dylan called everything just happened so fast. I honestly didn't think any of this was connected until Sam said his name. Then Gabriel walked in the room and my head kind of exploded. Do you think it could all be some weird coincidence?”

 

Jay smiled weakly at her. “When is anything in our lives ever just a coincidence when it comes to something like that?”

 

He had a point. As a hunter, something strange happening usually meant something equally, if not more, strange was behind it.

 

“What do you think it means?” Arianna asked.

 

“I really don't know, Ari. We will figure it out though,” Jay said, reaching over and putting his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

 

“Should we tell the others?” she asked as he pulled his hand back.

 

“I'm going to go with no on that. At least for now anyway. Luke is already skeptical about this whole thing, telling him this on top of the butt load of information we got dumped on us today might just send him over the edge. We will keep this on a need to know basis for now. Also, Sam and his angels have enough to deal with at the moment and we don't need to dump more questions onto the pile. Do you think Gabriel knows anything?”

 

She thought about it for a second. “I obviously look familiar to him, but I believe it when he says he has no memory of what happened between him dying and waking up in the bunker.”

 

“Well you might want to think about trying to not be so anxious around him. It was kind of obvious today that looking at him messed with your head.”

 

She laughed. If only he knew what looking in the Archangel’s eyes really did to her, and how when she had shook his hand it felt like electricity went through her body. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to touch more of him.

 

“Yeah, I know. Especially because there are a few things I'm going to have to talk to him about in order to figure everything out with the whole Dean issue,” she said, pushing thoughts of Gabriel’s eyes and touching him as far away from her mind as possible.

 

“If anything, I guess you could chalk the anxiousness up to past experiences. Thanks to Luke’s big mouth they know something happened with another Archangel,” Jay continued, noticing as Arianna tried to hide her slight flinch when he brought up the past.

 

He watched her as she got up from the couch and crossed the room to her bed to open her duffle bag. She started pulling out her clothes trying to busy herself. She wasn't good at hiding her emotions when it was just the two of them. The incident had been brought up three times today now and she had done really well with not letting the first two bother her.

 

This time though, there was a lot less to distract her. He mentally scolded himself for bringing it up again. He got up from the couch and walked over to her, taking her shirt she was holding from her hands and pulling her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

 

“I'm sorry, Ari. I didn't mean to; I can only imagine how much today has wore on you. I know being around angels brings up bad memories. I'm really proud of how you're handling everything though,” Jay said, and kissed the top of her head.

 

Arianna nodded into his chest and then pulled away from him, taking her shirt back from him.

 

“I'm OK. I promise. Aside from the whole dream weirdness with Gabriel, I'm really OK with being around him, Castiel, and Jack. Jack is practically just human now and Gabriel and Castiel just seem to be, for lack of a better word, way more humanized than literally any other angel.” She looked up and smiled at her brother.

 

He didn't believe she was OK but he knew his sister well enough to know she didn't want to talk anymore.

 

“Listen we’ve had a really long day and this is the first time we have all had our own rooms at the same time in a really long time. Why don't you get comfortable and get some rest?” he suggested, returning her smile.

 

“Yea that sounds like a good idea,” she agreed.

 

Jay pulled her into another hug and kissed her head again.

 

“Good night, sis. I love you,” he said as he broke the hug.

 

“Good night, Jay. I love you too.”

 

With that, Jay made his way out of the room, closing the door as he exited.

 

Arianna stood alone in her room absentmindedly looking around. It had been a long day. She suddenly felt exhausted. Maybe sleep was a good idea. She looked down at the clothes on her bed and picked out a gray pair of sweatpants and a navy blue tank top.

 

She pulled off her flannel shirt and her t-shirt then took off her pants. Before she could redress herself in the clothes she had picked out she caught her reflection in the large mirror and paused.

 

She walked to the mirror and looked at herself. Where there should have been smooth skin, there were instead deep, ugly scars. They covered her arms, chest, and torso. Some were from burns and others were from a blade. They weren't the random memory lines every hunter had gotten from one monster fight or another. These had been planned according to what would cause her the most pain. The ones on her arms had been planned so well that the marks on her left arm matched the ones on her right. She looked down at her legs. They were marred as well.

 

She made sure to always wear long sleeves and long pants whenever she was around anyone, including her brothers. She hated the sight of the scars, hated the questions asked by others about them. Her brothers also grew angry every time they saw them.

 

The deep marks in her skin were the end result from her last run in with the Archangel, Raphael, who had captured and tortured her. The only part of her that he had steered clear of slicing or burning was her anti-possession tattoo on her right hip. He had laughed and told her he didn't want to risk a demon possessing her.

 

It had taken Luke and Jay two months to finally find her, and they were only able to do so with the help of an old psychic witch from New Orleans named Edmee, along with her grandson Remy. Edmee had tracked the Archangel for them and given them the intel they needed to fight Raphael and rescue Arianna. After barely making it out alive, they brought Arianna back to Edmee, who ended up being detrimental in her recovery.

 

The old Cajun witch had been the one who started teaching Arianna about the angels. At first she learned how to ward herself so no angel in existence could find her again, along with a few defensive measures to use against them in case there was an unfortunate run in. After she had mostly recovered, she had wanted to know everything she could. Edmee gladly obliged, and taught her everything she knew. Arianna eventually started to learn separately from the witch, and started her own independent research.

 

Arianna and her brothers came to see Edmee and Remy as family, and the feelings were mutual. Edmee’s home had become a home base for Arianna and her brothers. In between hunts, if they were somewhat close, they would make the trip to New Orleans to see her. There was sense of home that came with being there.

 

Arianna reached up and ran her finger along the scar that ran along her left collar bone. Her mind flashed back to Raphael’s face, looming over her as he screamed at her to consent. When she had said no, he had dug his angel blade into her. He had made sure it was deep enough to scrape her collar bone.

 

She felt tears start to sting her eyes and pushed the memories away. She wiped her eyes with both hands and walked back to her bed. She pulled on the sweat pants she had picked out but changed her mind on the tank top. Instead, she picked up a loose fitting, black long sleeved shirt and pulled it over her head.

 

She took the rest of her clothes and stuffed them back into her duffle bag and then dropped it on the floor. She then crossed her room to the light switch by the door to turn the light off.

 

As she got into bed and pulled the blankets up around her, she sighed. She knew tonight would be full of nightmares.

 

* * *

 

 

Michael stood in a very large extravagant room. The walls were cream colored with accents of gold. There was a large white marble fireplace with matching gold accents in the middle of the far wall in the room. Large, full length mirrors trimmed in more gold hung on either side of the fireplace, and large cream colored couches and chairs were strategically placed around the fireplace

 

Michael was admiring himself in one of the large mirrors. The Winchester vessel had proved to be exactly what Dean had promised. His perfect vessel fit him like a glove and made him even more powerful than he had been before. When he had first taken over, Dean had put up a fight but Michael quickly put him into a dream-like state. Right now, Dean actually thought he was hunting down a vampire in South Dakota with his brother.

 

He smiled to himself over his cleverness, but was pulled out of his thoughts when a knock came at the door. He turned to face the door as a man wearing a black and gray digital camo army jumpsuit came in.

 

It was one of his angels. When he traveled to this world from his with Lucifer he had made sure he brought plenty of his army with him. The angel saluted Michael and then stood at attention.

 

“At ease,” Michael said. The other angel relaxed slightly. “What news do you bring me, Uriel. Have you found the Guardian of this world?”

 

Uriel’s face showed concern mixed with fear. “ No, sir. It appears the Winchester brothers stopped the fight between this world’s you and Lucifer. She never came in to her powers and the Gabriel of this world was held captive for years, so he wouldn't have found her either,” he explained quickly.

 

Michael raised his hand and slowly balled his hand into a fist. Uriel began to choke as he dropped to his knees. Michael crossed the room and stood in front of Uriel, looking down at him with a dark and angry expression.

 

“I don't want excuses, Uriel!!” he yelled. “She's out there! I don't care what you have to do! Find her!”

 

He then kicked Uriel in the chest, causing him to sail across the room into the wall. Uriel gasped for air as he finally slid to the ground.  

 

“Yes sir,” he choked out as he quickly made his way out of the room.

 

* * *

 

 

Sam and Gabriel were in the library of the bunker sitting at one of the tables. It was covered with different books, papers, and maps. They had been searching for signs of Michael, but so far had come up with nothing.

 

“This doesn't make sense, Sam. There has been absolutely nothing indicating Michael is anywhere. What is he waiting for?” Gabriel said as he threw another book onto the pile.

 

Sam closed his laptop. “I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about this. Things are too quiet,” he said

 

Gabriel ran his hands through his hair and looked around the room. The table next to them had been taken over by Arianna and her impressive amount of angel research. She had 6 boxes of books written completely in Enochian that he had been surprised to find out she could read without needing his or Castiel’s help to translate. There were also at least 30 notebooks filled with her own writings.

 

His mind began to drift to the occurrences that had gone on since she and her brothers had joined the team. He had been skeptical about her knowing as much as Dylan had claimed, but after spending the last week with her and her brothers in the bunker, all of his doubts were gone.

 

The second day they were there, Jack had spent most of the day with Arianna in the library, firing off question after question. Arianna had answered every one without hesitation. At one point everyone had been in the library together, and Jack asked her to tell him something that an angel wouldn't know about. She said it would be easier if she showed him and asked himself and Castiel if they would help her. Castiel had looked at Gabriel nervously but followed suit when he agreed.

 

Arianna had the two angels stand in the middle of the room. She had reassured both of them that she wouldn't actually hurt them which caused them both to suddenly regret agreeing to help. She walked around behind the two angels and placed a hand on each of their backs directly between their shoulder blades. Then without warning she dug her fingers into a particular spot in their backs and they both instantly dropped to their knees, unable to move their legs. Their vision became blurry, and they also couldn't hear.

 

Within a few minutes the weird paralysis she had put them in wore off and she helped both angels to their feet, both of them looking at her in awe. When Gabriel asked what she had done, she explained that it was simply just a pressure point in between their wings. Castiel had been slightly wary of her for a few days after that, but Gabriel had been thoroughly impressed with her.

 

His thoughts were interrupted when Jay walked into the room, greeted by Sam.

 

“Hey Jay!” Sam said.

 

Gabriel looked up and saw Jay standing in the threshold of the library. He looked a little rattled, and Gabriel assumed that Arianna and Luke must have fought again.

 

“Hey guys,” Jay said. “Gabriel, Ari needs to speak with you. She’s in her room.”

 

Gabriel nodded and stood up from his chair. He walked towards the threshold where Jay stood on his way to Arianna’s room. As he passed Jay, he grabbed Gabriel's arm lightly.

 

“And, uh, do yourself a favor and walk there slowly,” Jay said with an almost defeated smile.

 

“Um, OK,” Gabriel replied, unsure of what else to say.

 

Jay nodded and released his arm. Gabriel once again started towards Arianna’s room, making sure to take his time like Jay suggested. As he walked, his mind began to reflect on the trio once again.

 

Luke was the big brother, and he took that title to heart. Especially with Arianna. He had taken it upon himself to be Arianna’s guard dog ever since they arrived at the bunker. If she wasn't sleeping or in the bathroom, he was always in the same room. If Gabriel or Castiel were in the same room, Luke made no effort to hide that he was watching their every move.

 

Arianna hated it and constantly made it known to him that she didn't need or want a babysitter. It had sparked at least two arguments a day between them and every time Jay would step in and do his best to stop it. He seemed to always know what to say to calm them both down. Luke made no effort to make any connections with anyone. He had mentioned more than once how he couldn't believe his brother and sister were able to be so friendly after what had happened to Arianna. They never went into details what exactly had happened to her, but everyone knew it had something to do with Raphael.

 

Jay was the peacekeeper of the trio. He and Luke were fraternal twins, but other than a few physical similarities they were complete opposites. Where Luke was suspicious, overbearing, and at times just straight up rude, Jay was more open to trusting his new teammates, more helpful, and much friendlier. He gave Luke hell every time he was rude, and when he knew his sister was one snide comment away from throwing punches at her eldest brother, he stepped in and tried to calm the situation. There had been been a few times where he had had to pull Luke away from his sister for a few minutes.

 

Jay had started to get close with Sam. He had helped Sam try and track Michael and even though nothing was coming of it yet, the two of them had struck up a friendship. Jay, who obviously still had his reservations about everything, had made an effort to get to know both angels as well.

 

Gabriel's thoughts finally fell on Arianna. He had been intrigued by her the moment he first laid eyes on her. She was beautiful, but aside from that, when he had shaken her hand and looked into her eyes, he had gotten an overwhelming feeling that he had met her before. Not to mention the electric jolt his system had gotten as soon as he came in contact with her skin. She hadn't seemed to return either feeling, so he did his best to push those thoughts away. It had proven hard to ignore that electricity though; she never ceased to amaze him.

 

She was obviously more than capable of taking care of herself in a fight. She had proven that when she took himself and Castiel down with just a touch. He had a feeling that in a fight against almost anything she would be a force to be reckoned with. Why Luke treated her like she needed protection was beyond him. Her knowledge of his kind had impressed him more than once. He had tried to challenge her a few times and every time she had proven herself.

 

He had more than enjoyed the few conversations they had had. It was oddly comforting to talk to someone he didn't have to explain everything about himself to. He hadn't realized how much he needed that. She even seemed to understand how he was still processing his trauma with Asmodeus. The one time the subject had come up she had approached it like she knew and understood every thought in his head about it. Which, if he was completely honest with himself, kind of worried him as to why she understood that so well.

 

The truth was, being around her made him not hate existing so much. Before, he was angry at being brought back. Yes, he had sacrificed himself in order to help Sam and Dean so they could help the rest of the people from Apocalypse world, but he had known he wasn't walking away from the fight with Michael and he had been OK with that. He had been ready for it to be over. So, he had been pretty pissed when he woke up back in the bunker like nothing had happened.

 

Then Arianna walked into his life. She had made him genuinely smile for the first time in years, and he had discovered that he liked making her smile and laugh too. Even if it made Luke so mad you could practically see the steam come out of his ears.

 

He also couldn't help but notice just how beautiful she really was. She had no idea how beautiful she was either. He had caught himself staring more than once as she got lost in her research on how to help them. She had curves in all the right places and the tight jeans and tight purple long sleeve shirt she wore today especially highlighted those curves perfectly.

 

The only problem was, the few times he and Arianna had ended up alone in a room, she suddenly got very nervous and did her best to avoid looking directly at him. She didn't act that way when someone else was around, but the second it was just them, it was like a switch flipped.

 

That stung him. While he didn't quite understand why he was feeling this way over a human, he had wanted to find out what it was about this girl that got to him. He had assumed that the way she acted when they were alone had something to do with what Luke had mentioned; she obviously still had some anxiety over the incident and it made her cautious of getting too close to him.

 

So, he had decided not to push the issue, even if in the back of his mind he was still trying to figure out why she had looked so familiar to him.

 

All of his thoughts were interrupted when he was walking by Jay’s bedroom door and he heard glass shatter against a wall inside Arianna’s room. “Just get the fuck out of my room, Luke!” he heard Arianna shout angrily.

 

Seconds later Luke came storming out of Arianna’s room, leaving the door wide open. He stopped briefly to glare daggers at Gabriel before storming past him and down the hallway. Gabriel watched him until he rounded the corner and was gone.

 

Unsure if he should go in or not, he hesitated in front of Jay’s door. He heard her mumbling angrily, along with the sound of her picking up glass. Then he heard her yelp suddenly in pain and say “Dammit!”

 

He walked into the room and saw shards of glass, strewn all over the floor near the left wall, the shards scattered to almost the center of the room. Arianna was knelt down close to the wall, clutching one of her hands with the other as blood dripped to the floor from between them. She had cut her hand when she tried to pick up the broken pieces. She looked up at him as he entered the room.

 

“Hi,” she said. “Sorry about the mess.”

 

He smiled. “No worries. I can help with this.”

 

He snapped his fingers and suddenly all the broken glass had became the blue bowl it was before, setting next to Arianna on the ground. He then walked over to Arianna and knelt down in front of her. He took her injured hand into his, then ran his palm over the cut. A warm tingling sensation spread over her hand, and then just as quickly, the cut and blood disappeared. When he looked up at her she had a surprised expression on her face.

 

He laughed. “You know I'm not completely powerless. I can still do some things and heal small injuries,” he said to her.

 

He got to his feet, offered her his hand to help her up. As he helped her to her feet, he was hit with a sense of déjà vu, just as he had when he shook her hand for the first time. He looked at her questioningly, and she fidgeted nervously again as she pulled her hand away, unable to look at him. He ran a hand through his hair as he mentally scolded himself for making her uncomfortable.

 

He watched as she walked to the table she had had Sam and Jay move into the room three days before so she could work on a spell to mend Castiel’s wings. She busied herself with pretending to read a book as he walked up, impressed once again by what she had set up.

 

The right side of the table was covered with bottles and jars of white sage, holy oil, wolfsbane, goofer dust, acacia, oil of AbraMeline, burdock, wormwood, and three different kinds of ashes. They were all neatly organized with the names of the ingredient on each respective jar. Below the jars and bottles laid an open book written in Enochian. In the middle of the table sat a large black granite mortar and pestle. On the left side of the table a large knife with a brass handle, an angel blade, a black hand towel, a small cherry wood box with matching lid, gauze, medical tape, and a red rag in a bowl of water were arranged neatly together.

 

“Wow! Pretty intense spell,” he said trying to get her attention again.

 

She looked up from the book at him. “You have no idea.”

 

“So, Jay said you needed to speak with me?” he asked.

 

She was instantly nervous again, shifting from one foot to another as she looked down at the book, biting her lip.

 

“Come on, Ari. What's up” he said trying to encourage her to speak.

 

She looked up at him and sighed.

 

“OK, here it is. I need something from you for the spell and I promise if there was any other choice I wouldn't ask. I've looked for three days and there just isn't,” she said, speaking quickly.

 

Now he was a little nervous, and he ran a hand through his hair once more. “What do you need?” He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

 

She bit her lip again and looked down at her book, splaying her fingers out over the pages. She took a deep breath, then blurted it all out.

 

“The spell requires the blood of an Archangel, taken from their blade arm, and blood from the base of one of the their wings. The spell caster has to make the cuts and take the blood.” She looked up at him apologetically, and waited for all that she had told him to hit him, like she knew it would.

 

And it hit it hard. His mind suddenly flashed back to him bound to a chair with Enochian chains as Asmodeus used an angel blade to carve on him. The burning pain as the blade sliced down the length of his arms. Then the white hot pain as the base of his wings were ripped at. He pushed the memories away as fast as he could.

 

He nervously ran a hand through his hair again. “Ari…” he started.

 

“You do that a lot,” she said abruptly, her own nerves getting the best of her.

 

He raised a questioning brow at her, “Do what?”

 

“Run your hands through your hair. It’s very…” she paused, trying to search for the words, “human like.”

 

“And you fidget a lot,” he said with a nervous chuckle.

 

“Yeah, anyway,” she looked back down at the book in front of her again, “If you can't, I understand. It might take some time, but I’ll figure something else out.” She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at him, directly into his eyes. “I know what it’s like for someone to carve on you. It’s not something you bounce back from easily.”

 

It took his brain a second to comprehend what she had just confided in him. But when he got it, he felt like someone had punched him in his stomach. He knew now what had happened with Raphael; he had tortured her. That's why she had understood the trauma that came along with his time with Asmodeus. She had been through the same thing.

 

He smiled reassuringly at her and walked around the table, picking up the angel blade as he did. When he was standing next to her, he handed her the blade. She hesitated briefly before she took it from him.

 

“There’s no point in spending time trying to find some other option when we have one that's going to work. We don't have that kind of time,” he said.

 

“Are you sure?” she asked, looking in his eyes again.

 

“Yes,” he said.

 

Gabriel took off his leather jacket and tossed it onto her bed. He then rolled up the sleeve of his right arm. He noticed she was watching him closely.

 

Arianna was suddenly nervous again. She was fidgeting and turning the angel blade in her hands. “Um…” she started.

 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “What?” he asked, wondering what he had done this time.

 

“I...uh...I need to get to your back. You’ll have to take your shirt off,” she said, blushing.

 

He noticed the color in her cheeks immediately, and he had to fight to keep from smiling. Instead he nodded and pulled his shirt off. Before he turned to toss his shirt on the bed with his leather jacket, he saw Arianna’s eyes widen slightly and her blush darken. Had he been wrong about why she was nervous around him?

 

He turned back to her and held out his right arm. He had a ton of mixed emotions about this. He watched her as she lowered her head to watch what she was doing. She wrapped her left hand around his wrist and positioned it over the mortar. His skin almost tingled where she touched him. She gripped the angel blade with her right hand and placed the blade on his forearm, but hesitated.

 

Gabriel reached up with his left hand and hooked two fingers underneath her chin to tilt her head up so she could look into his eyes. Her cheeks reddened once more and he smiled. He had definitely been wrong about why she was nervous around him.

 

“It’s OK, Ari. I promise,” he reassured her.

 

When she nodded he released her chin and she looked back down to the angel blade on his skin. Gabriel watched her every move.

 

Arianna took a deep breath and exhaled.

 

“Dalagare zomdv canilu,” she said in perfect Enochian, then sliced his arm open.

 

She held the blade beneath his arm, letting the blood fall from the cut onto the blade and into the mortar.

 

“Dalagare zomdv canilu,” she repeated.

 

Arianna released Gabriel’s wrist and laid the angel blade on the table. She reached over and grabbed the black towel then wrapped it around the cut on Gabriel’s forearm.

 

“Hold this here until I can actually take care of it,” she instructed him.

 

Gabriel did as he was told as he watched her prepare the next part of the spell. She picked up the bottle of holy oil and poured some into the mortar. She next added the white sage and burdock. Finally she picked up the small cherry wood box, took the lid off and laid it on her table. She gently reached into the box and pulled out a small, silky, black feather and laid the box back on the table. Gabriel’s mouth dropped open.

 

“Is that what I think it is?” he blurted out.

 

Arianna didn't look up from what she was doing. “Yes,” she answered.

 

“Did Castiel show you his wings?” Gabriel demanded, a little more jealousy coming through in his tone than he had intended.

 

This time she looked at him with a shocked expression.

 

“What?! No! Of course not! I would never ask him to do that! I told him I needed one of his feathers and he went somewhere in _private_ to remove it and then he brought it to me,” she explained quickly.

 

“Oh...sorry. I take it you know the significance of that too?” he asked, trying to ignore his jealous outburst.

 

She smiled at him. “Yes, Gabe. I know how sensitive the true form of your wings are and that ninety-nine percent of the time when you show your wings, it’s just the shadow of them because they act like armor that way. To show your wings in their true form is your ultimate act of showing trust in someone because you are at your most vulnerable then. I read one description that said it is when an angel truly shows what's in their heart.”

 

Once again she had impressed him. He smiled at her but didn't say anything. It was nice not to have to explain every little thing about himself. She returned his smile and went back to what she was doing.

 

She took the feather that was in her hand and placed it in the mortar. She picked up the mortar in one hand and the angel blade in the other. It was time to take the blood from the base of where his wing would be. She turned to look at him, making sure he was still OK with all of this. He nodded his consent and she walked around behind him.

 

Gabriel felt two of her fingers start to trace the underside of his left shoulder blade before they moved up about two inches from the center of his back, which caused him to shiver. Once again, it hadn't really surprised him that he didn't have to tell her where the base of his wing would have been. The feel of her hands there sent pleasant shock waves through his body.

 

Suddenly, the contact was gone and replaced with the cold metal of the angel blade. He squeezed his eyes shut. This was going to hurt.

 

Arianna took a deep breath and exhaled

 

“Dalagare zomdv canilu,” she said and sliced his skin open on the same path her fingers had taken.

 

White hot pain shot through Gabriel’s whole body and it took him to his knees. Arianna followed him, never missing a beat. She of course knew what a cut there would feel like. She gave him a second to recover and then placed the angel blade in the flow of his blood guiding it to her mortar.

 

“Dalagare zomdv canilu,” Arianna repeated

 

Once she had enough of his blood, she dropped the angel blade to the floor and quickly reached up to put the mortar back on the table. She next grabbed the bowl of water, gauze, and medical tape. She gently wiped the blood from the cut on his back with the wet rag from the bowl of water, then place the gauze over the cut and secured it with the medical tape.

 

Arianna scooted around until she was kneeling in front of him, taking the supplies she had just used with her. Gabriel’s world was spinning, but he was still loosely holding the black towel to his arm. He watched as she took the towel from him and wiped the remaining blood from his arm. She used the gauze and tape to bandage his arm.

 

She held onto his arm while she searched his face, trying to gauge how he was doing.

 

“Are you OK?” she asked a little worried.

 

“That sucked,” he said, trying to smile at her.

 

“Come on, you need to lie down,” she said, hooking her arm with his and helping him to his feet.

 

Gabriel let her lead him to her bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow he closed his eyes, trying to will himself into feeling better. He felt her run her hand through his hair.

 

“Sleep,” she said.

 

He decided to listen.

 

* * *

 

 

Dylan parked his black pick up truck in front of his motel room door and turned off the ignition. He was in his late thirties but his gray speckled, chestnut brown hair made him look a little older. Given his day job as a hunter his body was fit and his toned chest peeked through the rip in his shirt. His dark brown eyes were weary. The last hunt had been a bitch.

 

He walked into his cheap motel room and shut the door. He leaned up against the door for a moment before he drug himself to the bed and collapsed face first onto it. He had just killed a werewolf that had been terrorizing a small town in Alabama. Just as he closed his eyes, his phone started to ring in his pocket.

 

He reluctantly rolled over onto his back and pulled his phone out. The screen read “Luke”. He rolled his eyes. Luke had called a few times the past week to bitch about his brother or sister. He contemplated letting it go to voicemail but figured if he did it would just make life harder on Arianna or Jay. He pushed the talk button and held the phone to his ear.

 

“Hey bro, how's it going?” Dylan asked, trying to sound cheerful.

 

“Dylan, she's lost her damn mind!” Luke's angry voice boomed through the phone.

 

“What happened this time?” Dylan's cheerfulness was gone, replaced with annoyance that Luke completely missed.

 

“She threw a damn glass bowl at me!”

 

“Did it hit you?”

 

“No, but it came close!”

 

“If Ari threw something AT you it would have hit you. She missed on purpose.”

 

“That's not the point, Dylan!”

 

“What's the point, Luke?”

 

“We were fighting over me leaving the room so she could talk to the Archangel in private. She knew what she had to ask him to do was going to be a touchy subject!”

 

“I still don't see the point, Luke.”

 

“She starting to care about these angels!”

 

“So? I've met Castiel and he's pretty cool. Loyal as shit to the Winchester boys and from what Jay says Gabriel is pretty cool too. He said those two are nothing like other angels.”

 

“I don't trust it, man! We have never encountered an angel that didn't have an ulterior motive or that didn't want to kill us.”

 

“Ari said they were a hundred percent up front with what they needed from her.”

 

“Dude! If I didn't know better, I would say Ari is actually attracted to one of them! You know that can't end well!”

 

“Luke, if your sister wants to shag an angel that's none of your damn business.”

 

“What the fuck, Dylan?!”

 

“OK, Luke, listen brother. I have tried to be neutral in all this, but I just can't keep my mouth shut anymore. You need to quit acting like a child, sack the hell up, and help your sister! She literally had the weight of the world put on her shoulders a week ago! She needs both of her brothers right now! Ari has done her best to move on from the past, you need to get the hell over it too! She's told me you have kept bringing that shit up this past week and if that's what you did to get that bowl thrown at you, then you fucking deserved it. Now stop bitching and go fucking apologize to your sister!”

 

Dylan took the phone from his ear, hit the end button, and dropped the phone on the bed next to him. He rolled back over onto his stomach and closed his eyes.

 

“You have got to be kidding me!” he shouted when he heard someone knock on the door.

 

Dylan pushed himself up off the mattress and reluctantly walked to the door. He grabbed a gun out of the desk by the door before he looked through the peephole.

 

On the other side of the door stood a man wearing a black and gray digital camo army jumpsuit. He had black hair cut into a crew cut and light blue eyes. He was holding a box that read “For The Children” on it.  

 

Dylan stowed his gun in the back waistband of his pants and opened the door. The man greeted him with a smile.

 

“Hello sir, I am collecting donations for the feed the children foundation in town and I was hoping you wouldn't mind sparing a few dollars?” the man asked cheerily.

 

“Uh. Yeah. Sure,” Dylan said. He just wanted to sleep.

 

Dylan took his wallet out of his back pocket and looked down while he looked in it to see what he had. He didn't notice the man’s smile drop as he reached up to touch him until it was too late. As soon as his fingers connected with Dylan’s forehead he fell to the ground unconscious.

 

The man smiled wickedly as he pushed Dylan into the room with his foot. When they were both inside, the man shut the door and locked it. He then reached down and gripped Dylan by his shirt.

 

“Humans are idiots,” the man said before they both vanished with the sound of flapping wings.

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna walked into the kitchen carrying the mortar and pestle which held the spell mixture. Around the kitchen table, Jay, Sam, Jack, and Castiel were looking at an old spell book, trying to find someway to track Michael. They all looked up at her when she entered the room.

 

“Who's ready to regrow some wings?” she asked with a smile.

 

Castiel glanced at Sam, looking worried. Sam smiled at him and laughed.

 

“It’s alright, Cas. Ari seems to know what she's doing with all this,” Sam said.

 

“It’s the ‘seems’ that I'm worried about,” Castiel replied.

 

“This will work, Cas. I promise,” Ari said, smiling at the angel. “Alright now, everyone into the library,” she instructed.

 

They stood and started to file out. Before Jay could exit, Arianna grabbed his arm. She watched the group until they had all left the room, then turned to look at her brother.

 

“Jay, I need you to do me a favor,” she whispered.

 

“What's wrong?” he whispered back, clearly worried.

 

“I need you to go keep an eye on Gabriel. He's asleep in my room,” she explained.

 

“Asleep?!” Jay’s worry had turned to full blown panic.

 

“Yes, asleep. It’s normal for him to need to sleep after taking blood from the base of his wing, but it shouldn't have knocked him out as fast as it did. Just go keep an eye on him, and if he spikes a fever or starts bleeding badly come get me.” Worry was seeping into her voice and expression now.

 

Jay nodded and took off to her room. Arianna took a second to calm herself and put a smile back on her face. She didn't want to worry the others if she didn't need to.

 

When she joined the others in the library she had no trace of worry on her face. Castiel stood in the middle of the room taking off his trench coat, suit jacket, and shirt. Arianna had already told him that when they did the spell she would have to write symbols on his chest and back with the spell mixture. He still looked unsure of the whole process.

 

Sam and Jack sat at one of the tables, both trying to reassure Castiel.

 

Arianna walked up to Castiel and smiled. “Let's do this,” she said.

 

He just simply nodded at her. He watched her every move while she took the pestle and mixed the ingredients in her mortar. Once she was satisfied with how it looked, she took the pestle and began to draw Enochian symbols on Castiel’s chest. Once she was done, she moved to his back drawing the same symbols down his spine. When the symbols were completed, she laid her mortar and pestle on a nearby table and walked around to face the angel again to rest a hand on each of his shoulders. She closed her eyes and once again spoke in perfect Enochian.

 

“Gen zomdv alonusahi.”

 

After Arianna spoke, the symbols on Castiel’s chest and back began to glow with a bright white light. When it faded, each of the symbols appeared to seep into his skin. After the last symbol was gone, so was the light.

 

Arianna removed her hands. “How do you feel?” she asked.

 

Castiel looked down to examine himself. “Like I have bugs crawling on me, but that feeling is going away quickly.”

 

Arianna smiled. “Good! That means it’s working. It should be about twenty four hours before everything is complete though. So, don't try anything crazy until then.”

 

He nodded and began to put his clothes back on. “By the way, your Enochian is very impressive.”

 

Arianna smiled again. “Thanks, Cas.”

 

Without warning all the lights in the bunker began to flicker wildly. The four of them looked at each other wide eyed.

 

“What the hell is going on?” Sam asked, standing up from the table so fast he knocked his chair over.

 

As if to answer his question, Jay and Luke came running into the room.

 

“Ari! It’s Gabriel! You need to get in there now!” Jay said, out of breath.

 

Without a word, Arianna took off running to her room. Every one of them followed her with the same haste.

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna burst through her bedroom door and ran to Gabriel’s side. He was still laying on the bed, but now his skin had a gray tint to it. She laid her hand on his forehead but quickly had to remove it. His skin was so hot it was painful to touch.

 

When the others filed into her room as well, she immediately rounded on Sam.

 

“Has he been sleeping?” she asked urgently.

 

Sam opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out because his eyes fell on Gabriel lying on the bed. The only time he had seen skin that gray was on a corpse.

 

Arianna snapped her fingers in his face. “Sam! We don't have time for freak outs! Has he been sleeping?” She couldn't hide the fear in her voice.

 

Sam’s eyes snapped back to her. “I..I..I know of one time he needed to sleep. When he went after Fenrir he was injured and he slept on the couch in our hotel room.”

 

“The other day he mentioned he was tired and later when I went to his room to ask him something, he was sleeping,” Jack said.

 

“Fuck!” Arianna yelled, running her hands through her hair, trying to make her brain work properly. This was bad.

 

“Ari, what does him sleeping have to do with this?” Sam asked.

 

“It means his grace levels are lower than we thought,” Castiel said solemnly from the doorway.

 

“Why did no one think It was off that a fucking ARCHANGEL needed to sleep?! I know he's low on grace, but come on guys! It’s basic angel knowledge that angels don't need sleep unless something is seriously wrong!” Arianna yelled.

 

“What do you need us to do, Ari?” Sam asked.

 

Arianna grabbed her car keys off the nightstand next to her bed and threw them to Jack.

 

“Jack, in my trunk there is a bottle of holy oil. Go get it. Castiel, go find as many towels as you can. Wet them and put them in the freezer. Jay, go call Edmee and tell her I need her to track down the closest Gahe she can find as fast as she can find it. Sam, go get the Impala ready to go because you and I will be taking a trip tonight.”

 

They all immediately left the room to complete the tasks they had been given, leaving just Arianna, Luke, and the unconscious Gabriel in her room.

 

Arianna walked quickly to the book that was still on her table and began frantically flipping through the pages. It was taking everything she had to fight back the tears welling up in her eyes.

 

Luke walked over to stand next to her. “Ari, what do you need me to do?” he asked.

 

“Nothing, Luke. I know you don't want to help and I really can't deal arguing with you right now,” she said, not looking up.

 

Luke grabbed her hands and turned her to face him. “Ari, I know I've been an ass and I'm sorry. I may not care about the angel but you obviously do. Just tell me what you need me to do.”

 

Tears started to fall from Arianna's eyes. “Luke, this is my fault! I should have asked more questions. I should have known!”

 

Luke wrapped his arms around his sister, hugging her tightly. “Ari, you didn't know! You couldn't have! Gabriel didn't even tell you! He had plenty of chances to tell you when you questioned him. Right now you have to keep it together. He needs your help. You can do this.”

 

Arianna pulled away from Luke and picked up the bottle of holy oil on her table. She handed it to him.

 

“Do you remember the Enochian healing symbol Edmee taught us?” she asked.

 

He took the bottle from her and nodded.

 

“I need you to draw it on his forehead with the holy oil now. Then every hour on the hour after that,” she said, grabbing her angel blade and starting towards the door.

 

“Ari!” Luke called after her.

 

She spun around to look at him. “Be careful. I love you.”

 

She smiled at her brother. “I love you, too.”

 

And with that she ran out of her room to go find Jay.

 

* * *

 

 

Forty five minutes later, Arianna, Jay, and Luke stood in the garage of the bunker near the Impala. Edmee had located a Gahe only a hour’s drive from the bunker a mere fifteen minutes after Jay’s phone call.

 

Once Edmee delivered the news, Jack had asked, “What is a Gahe?”

 

Arianna explained that Gahe were from Apache lore. They were supernatural beings who once dwelled inside mountains. They could sometimes be heard dancing and beating drums. Because they can heal and drive away disease, they were worshiped. In the ritual dances of the Chiricahua Apache, masked dancers painted a different color for each point of the compass, representing all the Gahe except the Gray One. The Gray One was really the mightiest of all the Gahe. What the Apache, or really anyone, hadn't known is that a Gahe’s blood could heal an angel, even bringing them back from the brink of death. However, the angel, or human that represented the angel, had to prove themselves worthy before it worked.

 

In modern times, with less people worshiping them, the Gahe had assimilated into society. They had taken on human appearances and had all but given up healing except for the select few that were willing to pass their tests. Those not able to pass the Gahe’s tests became part of the Gahe, never to be seen again. Tonight, Arianna and Sam would be going after the Gray Gahe.

 

“We're going with you, Ari!” Jay said, following Arianna around the Impala as she went to put her purple shoulder bag into the front passenger seat.

 

“Jay is right, we aren’t letting you do this alone,” Luke said, joining his brother and sister at the car door.

 

“There is a reason we have a rule of not hunting alone,” Jay said, trying to reason with his sister.

 

Arianna shut the car door and turned to face both her brothers. “Listen guys, I get where you’re coming from, but I need you here. Castiel is essentially out of commission for the next twenty four hours, and you two are the only ones with enough know-how to keep Gabriel alive until I get back. I need you both to help me by doing that.”

 

“And she won’t be alone,” Sam said. He had entered the garage just as Arianna had started talking.

 

They watched Sam as he walked over to where they stood near the Impala. Jay and Luke looked at each other; they still hated the fact that Arianna was going without them.

 

“Guys, I understand your anxiety over this, but I promise I've got your sister’s back. We will both be coming home with what we need to save Gabriel,” Sam said.

 

Jay reluctantly nodded and pulled his sister into a hug. “We promise to keep him alive as long as you promise not to do anything stupid, Sis.”

 

Arianna returned his hug and nodded into his chest.

 

Luke turned to Sam and held out his hand. “I'm trusting you to have my sister’s back, Sam.”

 

“You have my word,” Sam said, shaking his hand.

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna and Sam had been on the road for twenty minutes in complete silence. Arianna stared out the window, lost in her own head.

 

“Ari, are you OK?” Sam asked.

 

She turned her head to look at him.

 

“I'm pretty freaking far from OK, Sam,” she said. She could feel the lump in her throat as she spoke. “I should have asked more questions. I should have known. If I would have known...I never would have…”

 

“This isn’t your fault! You didn't know! None of us did! I'm sure if Gabriel had known -”

 

“He knew, Sam,” she interrupted, then lowered her head to look at the floorboard.

 

“What?” Sam asked, shocked.

 

Arianna’s spoke quietly as tears threatened to fall down her face again.“I literally cut into the base of his wing! Every angel knows that doing that when they are weak enough is like cutting into their heart. Gabriel knew exactly how low his grace was, and he knew the risks, and he let me do it anyway. He didn't tell us on purpose.”

 

Sam stared at the road stunned.

 

“But why?” he asked.

 

Arianna quickly turned her head to him, stunned and slightly angry.

 

“You're kidding me right?”

 

He glanced at her, then back to the road.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Sam, Gabriel is not OK! Asmodeus tortured him and fed off of his grace for SEVEN YEARS!! He finally gets free only to have to face his tormentor almost immediately!

 

“Then, as if that wasn't enough to deal with, you dump another world ending crisis in his lap and just expect him to join your little band of merry men like nothing ever happened! To be honest, I would have bailed on your asses too!

 

“When you finally catch up to him and he's hell bent on his Kill Bill style revenge plot, you offer your help but only if he agrees to help you fight a freaking archangel on steroids! But by then, he's realized that he's extremely low on grace and probably won't be able to complete his mission without you, so he accepts.

 

“All the while, those wounds caused by Asmodeus are still fresh, and he's trying to navigate through it, but the only people in his life literally just want him around for what he can do for them. So, why not try to make up for his mistakes before he finds a way to end it all. The nothingness of the empty sounds a whole lot better than constant memories of being ripped apart and drained. So, he helps you get to Apocalypse World to save your family, and he even goes out like a hero by sacrificing himself to save you two and everyone else.

 

“But make no mistake, Sam: he knew he wasn't walking away from that fight and he was fine with that. That's why he was so pissed off about being back. Not because what he did was in vain. Not because he doesn't know how he got here or whatever bull shit excuse he's come up with. He was pissed because he didn't want to come back, because that means he still has to deal with what happened to him. And before you even say it, I know you were just trying to help your family. If something like that had happened to Luke and Jay, I would fight heaven and hell single-handedly if that's what it took to get them back. But, don't you dare sit there and say you helped Gabe because it was the right thing to do. Because if that was the case, you would have seen him falling apart. I've known him all of a week and I've got a better idea of what is going through his head than you ever even tried to understand.

 

‘Which, by the way, is bull shit too. You and your brother both know what torture does to someone mentally. You don't just bounce back after you go through something like that, Archangel or not. Especially after seven years of it IN HELL! You know what time translates to down there!”

 

By the time Arianna had finished unleashing on Sam she was crying. She turned her head to look out the window in an attempt to hide her tears.

 

Sam stared ahead at the road, blinking away his own tears. She was right, and he knew it. He hadn't seen it. He and Dean had been so hell bent on their own mission they had missed all the signs. While his mindset was what was needed at the time, there was no excuse for his blindness.

 

“You're right. I, of all people, should have seen it. Maybe it was because I knew what we had to do, and how little time we had to do it in, or maybe subconsciously, I chose not to see it. I don't know. But, it shouldn't have happened the way it did. We should have found a way to help.”

 

Arianna turned her head to look at him.

 

“We all make mistakes, Sam. What matters is that you learn from them.”

 

“You know, he had seemed better this past week than before we went to the other world. At least around you anyway. Now that I think about it, I think the only time I have seen him genuinely smile since he killed Asmodeus has been since you’ve come to the bunker,” Sam said. He started to examine everything that had happened since Ketch brought Gabriel to them and everything Arianna had said in his head.

 

Arianna just turned her head to stare at the road in front of them. She didn't feel like she had made anything better. Gabriel could die all because she failed to ask one simple question. Would he have even told her the truth if she had?

 

“It’s not your fault, Ari.” Sam tried reminding her. “You said yourself he knew the risks of not telling you everything. I watched you go through every spell and every technique you have four times to make sure they were safe. Gabriel had obviously tried to hide the fact that he was sleeping. Out of all of us we could only name two occasions where we saw it happen.”

 

“You're sweet for trying to talk me off the ledge, but I won't forgive myself until I fix this.” Arianna said not taking her eyes off the road in front on them.

 

“Then let’s fix this.” he said and pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

 

* * *

 

 

Back at the bunker, Jay and Luke did their best to take care of Gabriel. Luke laid a towel from the freezer over the upper part of Gabriel’s body while Jay drew yet another Enochian healing symbol on his forehead with holy oil. The holy oil sizzled when it touched Gabriel’s skin.

 

“He's getting worse,” Jay muttered, standing back to look at Gabriel.

 

“Do you think they will get back in time?” Luke asked, as he crossed the room to sit on the couch.

 

Jay joined him on the couch. “I hope so. Ari will never forgive herself if they don't.”

 

“Have you heard from her?” Luke asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket to check for anything from his sister.

 

Jay leaned back on the couch. “Nothing.”

 

Luke put his phone back in his pocket and leaned back on the couch as well. The two sat in silence for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts.

 

“So, can I ask a question?” Jay said, breaking the silence.

 

Luke nodded.

 

“Now, I'm not trying to pick a fight or anything, but why are you suddenly being so helpful? You've been a dick all week,” Jay said, turning his head to look at his brother.

 

Luke let out a breath. “I talked to Dylan earlier, and he pretty much set me straight. He told me I needed to sack up and help Ari.”

 

“I've been telling you that for a week.”

 

“Yeah, I know.”

 

“Well, I'm glad you are on board now. Breaking up the fights between you two was getting exhausting.”

 

“I wouldn't say I'm on board with the whole thing, but I'm not going to make it harder on Ari than it is already. She threw a bowl at me earlier,” Luke said

 

“You probably deserved it,” Jay said, lightly punching his brother in the arm.

 

“Not saying I didn't,” Luke said, sitting up and resting his elbows on his knees. “So, can I ask you a question now?”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“Ari has been getting close with everyone here, and I know with what all we've agreed to do, that kind of comes with the territory. But, do you think she's getting closer with one person in particular?”

 

Jay looked at his brother skeptically. “What are you getting at, Luke?”

 

“Come on Jay, I know you’ve seen it. The way she acts around Gabriel. The way they both look at each other when they think no one is looking. Do you think Ari might be falling for the angel?”

 

Jay sat up. “I don't think Ari knows how she feels about him. I think they have both been through similar things, and that she feels a connection with that. To be honest though, unless she comes to one of us about it or it’s hurting her, it’s really none of our business. Ari knows what she's doing, Luke. You are eventually going to have to realize Ari is a grown woman that has come out on the upside of some pretty fucked up shit. She doesn't need as much protection as she did a few years ago. She can hold her own. The sooner you realize that, the sooner the two of you will start to get along better.”

 

Jay may have had a little more insight into Arianna’s feelings for Gabriel, but she hadn’t come right out and confirmed anything other than the confusion with her dream.

 

Luke turned his head and smiled at his brother. “She has come a long way. I'm pretty proud of how she's handled all of this. Pretty sure she's impressed even the angels this past week. I just hope she can pull this off, too.”

 

“She won't stop until she does,” Jay said.

 

* * *

 

 

Sam parked the Impala on the shoulder of a long stretch of road, dense woods covered on either side. The only light was from the full moon high in the sky. He turned the ignition off before he and Arianna got out. They both closed the car doors behind them.

 

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Sam asked, looking around.

 

“According to the info Edmee gave me we are,” Arianna replied as she looked at their surroundings as well.

 

Sam moved to the trunk of the Impala and opened it. He lifted up the fake bottom and revealed the Winchester arsenal.

 

“You trust this woman?” he asked when Arianna stood beside him.

 

“With my life,” she replied.

 

Sam nodded. “What do you think we’ll need besides flashlights?”

 

“Anything we run into here will be from the Gahe. Guns will be useless, so angel blades should be all we need.”

 

Sam reached into the trunk and grabbed two flashlights and two angel blades. He kept one of each for himself and gave one of each to Arianna, then closed the trunk.

 

“I thought you said these things assimilated into society. This place is literally the middle of nowhere,” Sam said, taking another look around.

 

“We are going for the strongest one. My guess is he doesn't like to be found,” Arianna said as she walked around the Impala towards the woods.

 

Sam caught up to her, and they walked side by side down the length of the wood until they came upon a small path that had been hidden from the road. They both turned on their flashlights.

 

“Looks like this is us,” Sam said.

 

Arianna nodded and started down the path first, Sam close behind her. Within a few minutes, they could no longer see the road behind them, the light from the moon all but gone. They only had their flashlights to guide them along the winding path in front of them. The forest that surrounded them was dense and thick, and only got more so the longer they walked.

 

“Well this is creepy as shit,” Arianna whispered.

 

“Is it just me or does it feel like we are being boxed in on this path?” Sam asked

 

“Not just you.”

 

The space between the trees on either side of the path dwindled as the trees multiplied as if by magic, until suddenly there was a wall of trees on either side of them. They both stopped. Arianna turned to look at Sam and discovered another wall of trees behind him as well.  

 

“I guess turning back isn't an option,” Sam said after Arianna pointed it out.

 

“Oh honey, you lost that option the moment you got out of that pretty car,” a female voice said behind them.

 

They both spun around quickly, ready to fight, and were greeted by a tall and very skinny woman standing in the middle of the path. She wore a long, black, sleeveless dress with slits all the way up both side of her legs. She had jet black hair that reached all the way to the top of her black stiletto heels. Her white skin made her red eyes almost glow in the darkness around them.

 

“Are you the Gahe?” Arianna asked, still in a defensive stance with her angel blade up.

 

Sam had moved to stand beside her, mirroring her stance.

 

The woman laughed.

 

“No, dear. There is a price to pay to see my master, and I'm the one you pay it to,” she said, smiling wickedly.

 

The woman then held both of her hands out in front of her, palms facing them. She yelled in a language neither of them knew and a red blast of energy shot from her hands. They cried out and flew back into the wall of trees behind them with enough force to crack the wood before falling to the ground unconscious.

 

* * *

 

 

Jay stood looking down at Gabriel with both hands on his head. He watched as Castiel drew another Enochian healing symbol on Gabriel’s forehead. The holy oil had popped and sizzled like it had been thrown into a fire the second it touched his skin.

 

It had been four hours since Arianna and Sam had left. Around hour three, they had moved Gabriel to the floor in hopes that the coolness of the concrete would help to cool his body down. However, shortly after moving him Castiel had to remove the bandage from Gabriel’s back and forearm because his skin was starting to melt them. The towels from the freezer had also become useless, steaming from the heat of Gabriel’s body the moment they were placed on his skin.

 

Jack sat on the couch with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. Luke leaned against the wall by the door. He held his phone in his hand and every two or three minutes he dialed Arianna or Sam’s number. Both of their phones were going straight to voicemail.

 

Castiel stood up after four tries of writing the healing symbol and turned to look at Luke.

 

“Any luck?” he asked.

 

“Still nothing,” Luke replied.

 

“This isn't looking good. If they don't get back soon…” Castiel’s voice trailed off. He didn't want to finish his sentence.

 

“That's not an option,” Jay said, taking his hands from his head. “I promised Ari we would keep him alive, and that's what we are going to do.”

 

“And how exactly do you propose we do that, Jay? Nothing we have is going to lower his body temperature, and we can't even use the healing symbol because of how fast it evaporates!” Luke said.

 

Jay laced his fingers behind his head. He didn't know what to do, but he would be damned if he would let his sister down without a fight. He scanned Arianna’s room with his eyes, hoping to see something that would give him an idea. In a corner of the room there was a box of Arianna’s notebooks that she had filled with her angel research, and an idea came to him.

 

“Luke, go look through the rest of Ari’s boxes in the library. Jack go help him. She labels and categorizes all of her research. Bring back anything that remotely hints at healing.”

 

Luke and Jack nodded and left the room to scour Arianna’s notes. Jay went to the box in the corner of the room and started pulling out notebooks.

 

“Cas, I know it seems useless, but I need you to keep trying with that symbol,” Jay said.

 

“Jay..”

 

“Cas, please. Whether she has figured it out or not, my sister cares for Gabe. I can't let him die.”

 

Castiel knelt down beside Gabriel, and Jay heard the sizzle every time the oil made contact with Gabriel’s skin as the angel tried to make the healing symbol once more.

 

“Please be OK, Ari,” he whispered as he continued to look through her research.

 

* * *

 

 

When they opened their eyes, Sam and Arianna groaned in pain. They were sitting on the ground atop a wooden platform in the middle of a large clearing in the woods. The wall of trees from the path had changed to make a complete circle around the clearing. When they tried to move, they quickly discovered that their hands were tied behind their backs to stakes coming from the floor of the platform.

 

“The hunters awake!” the female voice from before said.

 

They looked up to see her standing at the end of the platform. She had a wicked smile on her face and held one of their angel blades in each hand.

 

“Who the hell are you and what do you want from us?” Arianna said angrily.

 

Arianna chanced a glance at Sam. She saw he had found a sharp edge on the stake he had been tied to and he was attempting to cut through the rope while the woman paid him no attention.

 

“My name is Jade. I serve the all powerful Gray Gahe. I make sure he gets what is owed to him for helping pathetic humans like yourselves, who think you are worthy enough to see him.”

 

“So what's the price then,” Arianna said, “cause we really need to move this along. We are on a bit of a time crunch and we really don't have time to deal with a servant.” She had to keep Jade’s attention off of Sam.

 

Jade threw the angel blades to the ground and stalked over to Arianna, grabbed her by the hair, and pulled her head back. Forced to look up at her, Arianna stared back with a deadly look in her eyes.

 

“You should show me some respect, girl. Your life is in my hands,” Jade hissed

 

“What's the price?!” Arianna hissed back.

 

Jade released Arianna and took a step back. She smiled as she spoke. “A life and I think I know which one I choose.”

 

Jade walked up to Sam and grabbed his hair forcing his head the same way she had Arianna’s. A long knife with a curved blade appeared in her hand

 

“I've always had a thing for tall, dark, and handsome.”

 

“No!” Arianna screamed. “Take me! He’s close with an angel and Archangel! Kill him and they will both be here to kill you and your master. I'm nothing to the angels. All I am is someone with a lot of knowledge about them. They won't care if I die. You'll be safe that way.”

 

“Ari, no!” Sam yelled.

 

Jade released his head and smacked him hard. “Shut up!”

 

Jade quickly moved to Arianna. She cut the ropes that held her hands and quickly secured both of her wrists with one hand and twisted her hand that held the knife in the blonde woman’s hair. She roughly pulled Arianna to her feet and started moving to the end of the platform.

 

“Actually, you know what?” Arianna said through gritted teeth, “I've got an angel to save!”

 

Arianna picked up her foot and stomped back hard onto Jade’s foot, snapping the stiletto heel and causing her to fall, taking Arianna with her. Arianna slipped out of Jade’s grip as the knife went flying from the woman’s hand.

 

Jade tried to grab her again, but she was met with a punch to the face that sent her reeling backwards. Arianna scrambled to her feet and set off in a run towards the end of the platform where the angel blades had landed.

 

Just as she had jumped off of the platform, Jade came flying at her and knocked her to the ground. Jade got to her feet first and kicked Arianna in the stomach, causing her to scream in pain. In between kicks, Arianna scanned the ground until her eyes fell on an angel blade just a few feet from her.

 

When Jade went to land another kick to her, Arianna grabbed her foot and twisted as hard as she could, which sent Jade to the ground face first. Arianna jumped to her feet and ran towards the angel blade, picking it up as soon as she was close enough.

 

As soon as the blade was in her hand she felt a hard blow to her back and fell to the ground. Jade had hit her with another energy blast. Arianna turned over and Jade jumped on her. She pinned Arianna to the ground beating her with one hand while the other tried to get her to drop the angel blade.

 

Arianna looked up and started to laugh.

 

Jade stared at her confused. “Why are you laughing?!” she demanded angrily.

 

Sam came up behind Jade and grabbed her by the arms,  Arianna smiling the entire time. He pulled the woman to her feet and used his arms to lock hers behind her back.

 

Arianna jumped to her feet, angel blade in hand, and immediately sunk the blade into Jade’s heart.

 

“Seems your life will be the payment this time,” she said.

 

Blood began to seep out of Jade’s mouth as she went limp. When she vanished, it left Sam and Arianna looking at each other in confusion. They both quickly looked around.

 

“What the hell? Where did she go?” Sam asked.

 

They heard clapping coming from the platform and looked up. A man stood there, tall and rail thin with silver hair. He was pale and wore a gray short sleeve shirt, a thin gray scarf hung around his neck, and a pair of gray pants completed the ensemble. His pale blue gray eyes were twinkling as he smiled and clapped for them.

 

“Very impressive. Most humans can't hold their own against Jade,” he said as he walked toward a stunned Sam and Arianna.

 

Gaining his composure back, Sam stepped in front of Arianna.

 

“Do we need to fight you too?” he asked.

 

The man made it to the end of the platform and jumped down. He bent down to grab the other angel blade that had been thrown around while Arianna and Jade fought. He admired the blade before he flipped it in his hand and pointed the handle at Sam. Sam reached out and took the blade from him.

 

“We can fight if you like, but I imagine the angel doesn't have much time left,” the man said with a smile still on his face.

 

Arianna stepped around Sam and walked up to the man.

“You're the Gray Gahe,” she said.

 

“Yes, though you can just call me Gray. I take it you will be needing some of my blood to heal the angel you spoke of.”

 

Sam moved to stand beside Arianna.

 

“Yes, but don't we need to pass your tests?” he asked.

 

Gray smiled at Sam. “My dear boy, you already have: Jade was your test. You both worked together easily to defeat her and you were smart enough to realize that she didn't specify what kind of life was needed. You would be surprised at how many people have missed that.”

 

Arianna and Sam looked at each other and then back to Gray. He raised an eyebrow and looked between them.

 

“Very well, before we get to what you came here for, I would like to speak with you alone,” he said, looking at Arianna.

 

Gray touched a finger to Sam’s forehead and he vanished.

 

“He's safe; I just sent him back to the car!” Gray said defensively when Arianna had taken a fighting stance after Sam disappeared. She relaxed when Gray reassured her.

 

“Why did you want to speak with me?” she asked.

 

Gray looked at her and smiled again.

 

“Just a question, if I may?” he asked.

 

“Um..sure.”

 

“Why come to me and risk your life when you could have healed the Archangel yourself?”

 

Arianna’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

 

“B..but...but...I couldn't. The only thing strong enough to heal him besides another Archangel is you.”

 

“You healed him once before.”

 

Arianna felt like he had smacked her in the face. How had he known about her dream?

 

“That was a dream. How did you know about that anyway?” she demanded.

 

He smiled once more. “I must admit, I peered into your minds when you arrived. Why do you think it was a dream when everything is telling you it wasn't?”

 

“I...I don't know.”

 

“If you manage to save the angel tonight, you should think about telling him. There is a power in you that you haven't quite discovered yet. You should listen to what your heart is telling you, even if it doesn't make sense right now. It will eventually,” Gray said.

 

He then touched a finger to Arianna’s forehead and, like Sam, she vanished.

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna and Sam woke with a start. They were sitting inside the Impala on the side of the road where they had left the Impala. The looked at each other and their surroundings before their eyes fell on the half-pint-sized bottle of blood that sat on the dash of the car. A small note was attached that read:  
  
_Inject all into the Angel’s bloodstream._

 

Arianna picked the bottle up and stared at it a moment.

“Holy crap we pulled it off,” she said.

 

Sam started the car, pulled back onto the road, and made a U-turn, headed back to the bunker.

 

“Never doubted that we would,” he said smiling.

 

Arianna placed the bottle into her shoulder bag and pulled out her phone. When she lit up the screen she saw she had thirty missed calls from Luke. She quickly pressed the call button and held the phone to her ear. It rung a few times and then went to voicemail. She then brought up a text window and typed out a message to Luke.

 

_Got what we need. On our way back_

 

She hit send and laid the phone in her lap, staring at it. Worry washed over her. Things must have gotten really bad if Luke wasn't answering her call.

 

Her phone began to ring and when the screen lit up it read “Edmee”. Not the call she was hoping for, but she would take the comfort right now. She tapped the talk button with her finger and held the phone to her ear.

 

“Hello, Edme,.” Arianna said.

 

“Hello, my sweet girl.” Edmee had a thick Cajun accent and spoke sweetly as she greeted Arianna.

 

“You are on your way back to the Archangel?” Edmee asked.

 

“Yes, we got the Gahe’s blood.”

 

“I never doubted you would, my sweet girl.”

 

“Have you heard from Luke or Jay, Edmee?”

 

Arianna couldn't hide the worry in her voice. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sam look at her.

 

“Jay called an hour ago asking for advice.”

 

“Advice about what?” Arianna wasn't sure if she wanted the answer.

 

“That information is not useful to you at the moment. Just get back to your Archangel as fast as you can. Once everything calms down give me a ring. Jay explained a few things to me, and I think I may be able to help with the Archangel’s grace.”

 

“Hopefully there is still an Archangel for you to help once this is all said and done”

 

“Don't talk like that, my sweet girl. You are meant to keep this angel alive. Everything will be fine.”

 

“If you say so.”

 

“I do. Oh, and one more thing.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Maybe you should give in and try the whiskey. Talk to you soon, my sweet girl,” Edmee said, and hung up before Arianna could react.

 

Arianna was left staring ahead at the road in shock at the words she had just heard. Of course, her psychic witch had seen or felt something having to do with Gabriel, but her pulling an exact thought from her head was surprising.

 

Her text notification went off in her ear, breaking her from her frozen state. She lowered her phone and opened the message. It was from Luke. Her heart dropped the second she read the one word he had sent in response.

 

_HURRY_

 

Sam saw the look on her face.

 

“Ari what's wrong?” he asked

 

All she could do was show him the message. Sam swallowed hard and put his eyes back on the road. For the second time that night, he pushed the gas pedal to the floor board.

 

* * *

 

 

When Arianna slung open her bedroom door at the bunker, a syringe full of the Gahe’s blood in her hand, the sight she was met with caused her to pause for a brief second, and Sam nearly stumbled into her from behind.

Jay, Luke, Castiel, and Jack were sitting on the floor around Gabriel. Jay held one of her angel research notebooks in his hands, Castiel held a bottle of holy oil, and Luke and Jack each had bowls of ice and white sage. All four looked worn and exhausted

 

The floor was littered with her books and notebooks as well. Small jars of different spell ingredients sat close by Jay.

 

When Sam and Arianna entered the room, the room’s wary occupants stood to their feet and moved away, making room around Gabriel’s body.

 

Arianna ran to Gabriel and dropped to her knees on his right side. She grabbed his arm, fighting the urge to pull away when his fire hot skin singed her fingertips. She plunged the needle of the syringe into his arm. Slowly, she injected the blood, holding her breath as she did.

 

The moment the syringe was empty the gray color of his skin faded and was replaced by his normal skin tone. She felt his body temperature plummet back to normal through her singed fingertips.

 

Arianna retracted the needle and gently laid his arm back on the ground. She placed a cap over the needle and laid the syringe on the floor. She let out the breath she had been holding and looked up to the five expectant faces staring at her.

 

“Now what?” Jack asked.

 

“Now we wait until he hopefully wakes up,” Arianna said.

 

* * *

 

 

She sat on the floor next to her door, her back against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared at the Archangel’s body. Jay and Luke had moved Gabriel back to her bed after his body temperature had returned to normal, but twenty-four hours had passed with no change.

 

After she had given him the Gahe blood, no one left her room. However, Gabriel continued to sleep. Finally, with no one having slept since the whole thing started two days ago, Arianna had made everyone go to their rooms to sleep. Castiel had argued with her, saying he didn't need sleep, so she had eventually admitted she just needed to be alone. He had given her a knowing smile, told her if she needed anything to find him and to come get him once Gabriel had woken up.

 

That was five hours ago, when she had still been hopeful. She had started to cry, fearing that she had been too late in getting back to Gabriel. She tore her eyes from him, burying her face in her knees, then jerked her head up when she heard Gabriel stir on the bed.

 

She jumped to her feet when she heard him groan and watched him slowly push himself up before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around the room before his eyes met hers.

 

“Gabriel!” she shouted. She ran across the room and threw her arms around his neck.

 

Shocked by her hug, Gabriel faltered but managed to keep the both of them from falling back onto the bed by propping himself up with one arm while his other arm wrapped around Arianna.

 

Arianna reluctantly broke the hug and moved to sit on the bed next to him. They stared at each other briefly before Arianna’s expression turned angry. She reached up and smacked his chest. He let out a surprised grunt and placed his hand over where she had hit him.

 

“What was that for?!”

 

“Don't you EVER scare me like that again!” she yelled at him.

 

Gabriel hung his head and stared at the floor.

 

“I'm sorry,” he said.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were sleeping?”

 

Gabriel turned his head to look at her. “I don't know.”

 

“Don't you dare lie to me, Gabriel.”

 

Gabriel could feel her anger, fear, and worry radiating off of her. He stared at the floor again.

 

“I'm useless without my grace, Ari. Thanks to that Kentucky Fried Asshole I may never get it back. I had been more than ready to be done with it all when I fought Michael, and now here I am again, thrown back into it without enough power to help anyone do anything. I'm a liability at this point.”

 

Arianna’s expression softened. She reached her hand over and gently turned his head so he was looking at her.

 

“You are not useless, Gabriel. And you are far from a liability. Yeah, you may not be as strong as you once were, but you are still an angel with some pretty impressive abilities. What level your grace is at doesn't make you who you are, though. I know what Asmodeus did to you is still pretty much an open wound, and I know that messes with your head more than words can say. Angel or not, a trauma like that doesn't go away overnight, especially when you get thrown into the middle of a war zone. I promise you, it gets better with time.”

 

“You speak from experience, don't you?” he asked, as he reached up and took her hand from his face and held it.

 

“Figured that one out, huh?”

 

“I really am sorry I scared you,” he said, looking down at her hand in his.

 

“As long as you promise me two things, I’ll forgive you,” she said.

 

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “And those two things are?”

 

“One, you have to be honest with me about everything. That means no lies by omission either. I can't help you if you don't tell me everything.”

 

“And two?”

 

“You actually try to heal instead of throwing yourself into every self destructive course of action you can. I will not start to care about you, and then bust my ass trying to fix your grace just so you can go and purposefully get yourself killed!”

 

Gabriel smirked at her. “You care about me?” he asked.

 

She pulled her hand from his and shoved his shoulder playfully, smiling at him.

 

“Don't change the subject. Do you promise?”

 

He smiled and nodded. “I promise.”

 

Gabriel was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. He reached up and put his hand on the arm she had draped across his chest.

 

“I'm really glad you're alive, Gabe.”

 

“I'm really glad you're here, Ari”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Dalagare zomdv canilu = Give your blood
> 
> Gen zomdv alonusahi = Do your power
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arianna and Gabriel head to New Orleans to inquire about his grace, but they end up finding out more than they bargained for. Meanwhile, Sam, Luke, and Jay go to Alabama to check on Dylan. When the true severity of their fellow hunter's situation comes to light, they all reunite to try and save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally made it to the first chapter with smut!!
> 
> Talk of torture in this chapter as well.
> 
> Translations in end notes.

**Chapter 3: Awakening**

 

 

Luke, Jay, and Sam were standing around the island in the bunker’s kitchen with Jack, teaching him how to play poker as they ate pizza Sam had ordered. Gabriel had been awake for two days, and everyone had refocused their efforts back to the “to do list.”

 

When Sam had arrived with food for everyone, it had been a welcomed break. Luke had decided to take advantage of the break, bringing out a deck of cards for a friendly game of poker. When Jack had asked what poker was he took it upon himself to teach him; Jay and Sam had joined in to help. They were surprised when Jack started to beat them.

 

On the other side of the kitchen, Gabriel and Arianna sat at the table next to each other on the bench seat nearest the wall. Gabriel smiled as he watched Jack and the other men play, at the look of awe on their faces as the nephilim demolished them. Arianna had an old book written in Arabic open in front of her on the table and an Arabic translation book in her hand. Edmee had overnighted the books through the mail.

 

Jack suddenly cheered as he won another hand. Arianna looked up in time to see Gabriel grinning. She smiled and lightly elbowed him in the arm.

 

“That's called cheating, Gabe,” she said just loud enough for Gabriel to hear.

 

He looked at her, feigning innocence. 

 

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” he said with a wink.

 

She laughed. “Yes you do.”

 

He smiled at her again. “I'm just helping my nephew to learn.”

 

“You are not! You're stacking the deck!” She couldn't help but smile back at him.

 

He winked at her and smiled. She rolled her eyes and went back to translating her book.

 

“What are you reading?” Castiel's voice said. 

 

He had suddenly popped in beside Arianna. The spell to mend his wings had been successful, and he was taking full advantage of his working wings once again. His sudden appearance had startled her, causing her to jump and almost fall off her seat. If Gabriel hadn't caught her and steadied her back onto the bench, she would have fell.

 

“Damnit, Cas! Don't do that!” She said loudly.

 

“I'm sorry.” Castiel said.

 

The incident had caught the others’ attention. Jay and Luke were laughing, while Sam and Jack tried to be polite.

 

“Oh shut up you two!” Arianna hissed at her brothers.

 

“What are you reading?” Sam asked as Jay and Luke tried to stop snickering.

 

“It’s the book Edmee sent. She said she thought it might help us out. I'm still translating because it’s written in Arabic, but there is something in it I wanted to ask you two about,” she said, looking between Castiel and Gabriel.

 

“Go ahead,” Gabriel said.

 

Sam, Luke, Jay, and Jack put down their cards and moved to sit at the table with the other three.

 

“OK, from what I can tell this just seems to be a legend of some sort, but I guess it’s worth a shot. What do you two know about The Guardian?” Arianna asked.

 

“I've never heard of it,” Castiel said.

 

“You wouldn't of. The only ones that knew about her were Michael, Raphael, and myself. I'm actually surprised there is anything written about her,” Gabriel said.

 

Everyone’s attention turned to Gabriel.

 

“What is she?” Arianna asked.

 

“She was dear old Dad’s way of preparing for the worst. You all know what the original story line was: Mike and Luci fight, one kills the other, yadda yadda yadda. She was made in case Luci won or Micheal went off the deep end after winning. Either way, she was supposed to come into her powers immediately after the fight. I was supposed to find her and explain to her that she had been given the powers of an Archangel and hope she didn't freak,” Gabriel explained.

 

“Why did you have to find her, and why would she have been given the powers of an Archangel?” Luke asked.

 

“Other than the fact that she would have needed an Archangel to show her how to use her powers, I'm not entirely sure. Dad just said that our powers would be connected. But, she would get the powers of an Archangel because she would need them to fight an Archangel,” Gabriel said.

 

“So what, if Dean and I hadn't stopped all of it, and the apocalypse had happened, she would have stepped in?” Sam asked.

 

“That was the plan, but there really wouldn't have been a whole lot to save had you not of stopped it.” 

 

“How would that of worked with you not being able to get to her?” Luke asked.

 

“I don't know,” Gabriel admitted.

 

“I never heard of a Guardian while I was over in the other world. Why didn't she step in there?” Jack asked.

 

“With Sam and Dean not being born in that world, she may not have been born either,” Gabriel said.

 

“If we could find her now, do you think she could come into her powers?” Arianna asked.

 

“It’s possible. Finding her would be the issue,” Gabriel said.

 

“Wouldn't you know her if you saw her? You said your powers are connected,” Castiel asked

 

“No, Dad made sure she would be hidden until she was needed. Even if I was sitting right next to her, I wouldn't know. I'm sure there has to be some way to track her down though,” Gabriel explained.

 

“Do you think this may be worth looking into further?” Sam asked.

 

“It might be worth a shot, because once she comes into her power, she's supposed to be able to pull an angel from their vessel. That was an extra ability Dad threw in for her, and that could come in handy.”

 

“Sounds like we have something new to add to our to-do list,” Jay said.

 

* * *

 

Gabriel sat at his desk chair in his room at the bunker. He had propped his feet up on the desk in front of him, an old book written in Enochian in his lap. He was supposed to be reading, but he had been looking across the room at Arianna on his bed instead.

 

She was laying in the center of the bed on her stomach, propped up on her elbows. Her legs were bent at the knees and her ankles were crossed in the air behind her, swaying slowly back and forth as he concentrated on the Arabic book before her. The look on her face told him that translating the book was making her frustrated.

 

It had been a week since the night he had awoken in her room. Things had changed with them, and while they had always been friendly toward one another, a bond had formed between the two that night. 

 

After Gabriel had made his promises to her, she had started to leave to find Castiel and tell him that he was awake. He had stopped her and told her he really wasn't ready to face his brother just yet, and she didn't push the issue. Instead, she had sat back down on the bed next to him. When she asked if he wanted her to leave, he had told her no.

 

They ended up talking for hours, rearranging themselves until they laid in bed next to each other. He told her about the real state of his grace, how it had seemed to have stopped charging, and how it had been at the same level for a while. Like he had told her, he could still do some things, but he had been needing to sleep every two to three days. 

 

They discussed their options on the grace issue for a while, but at some point, that neither of them could really identify, the nature of their conversation changed. It had become easy and about everything but their pressing problems.

 

He had told her about his time as Loki and the trickster. About the things he had put the Winchesters through, and how he really was just trying to help in his own weird way. He told her of the places he had seen and people he had met. He even went into the mistakes he had made that had brought him to his current situation, all of which he regretted now, and was trying to make up for.

 

He spoke in detail about his time on Earth before everything went to hell. How he had seen the perfectly flawed beauty of humanity and how it had caused him to find his own. He explained how coming to Earth and living among the humans had opened his eyes to how amazing his Father’s creation really was.

 

She talked about growing up in a small town in Tennessee with her brothers, and how they had had a happy childhood. She told him about everyday life with her brothers now that they were adults, as well as their life as hunters. She had explained how hunting had became their life after their parents had been killed by a werewolf when she was sixteen. There had been an older hunter that had explained the world to them and showed them the ropes, but after he had been killed by a Shapeshifter, they had had to learn how to navigate through the world of monsters on their own. It had caused the unbreakable bond she shared with her brothers. She had said that while they may argue and fights like cats and dogs sometimes (especially her and Luke), there was never any doubt that her brothers would be standing by her side when it counted.

 

She told him about Edmee and Remy, and what they meant to her and her brothers. She touched on Edmee being the one that had started her on her quest for knowledge about the angels, and how in the process she had saved her from her own self-destructive behavior. She told him about how having the the psychic witch in their corner had saved their lives so many times. But most importantly, Edmee and Remy had given them a home that Arianna and her brothers had so desperately needed, even if none of them would admit it. 

 

They had laid in her bed and talked until both of them had fallen asleep, only waking up when the others had come knocking on the door the next morning. 

 

The bond Arianna and Gabriel had formed had been evident over the past week. What she had still been trying to convince herself was a dream was still up front in her mind, but she was no longer nervous around him. There were times that he still made her blush because now, much to Luke’s discomfort and dismay, he made no effort to hide flirting with her. Neither had made a move past flirting for their own personal reasons. Though neither of them would come out and say it they had both found one excuse or the other to end up spending time together. They neither would admit it, they always seemed to manage to find an excuse to spend time together.

 

With her being at a dead end on figuring out why his grace wasn't recharging and how to recharge it without another Archangel, everyone had thrown themselves into finding out anything and everything they could about the Guardian. They hadn't uncovered much more than Gabriel had told them already. Tensions had been running high in the bunker with no progress being made, and with everyone on top of one another, it was only getting worse.

 

Within a few days, the bunker’s occupants began to go stir-crazy. When Luke and Arianna had started arguing over the best way to translate the Arabic books Edmee had sent, and Arianna had quietly told Gabriel she just needed to get away from everyone for a moment so she could just think, he had jumped at the opportunity. 

 

He had offered the solace of his room. 

 

Her brothers had proven that the closed door of her room had meant nothing to them, so she quickly accepted his offer. When he went to leave her alone, she had stopped him and told him when she had said she wanted to get away from everyone, she hadn't meant him. He had smiled at her as he grabbed one of her books and sat in his desk chair.

 

Gabriel smiled as he watched Arianna concentrating on the books in front of her. She had been in the same position for the better part of a hour, and her frustration was starting to get the better of her. 

 

Letting out a frustrated yell, she roughly pushed the book off of the bed and buried her face in the blankets.

 

“Gabe!” she whined into the blankets.

 

“Yes, Sugar?” he said, laughing.

 

Arianna raised her head to look at him. “Arabic is a stupid language! I can't make heads or tails of this shit!”

 

“You can hold a conversation with me in perfect Enochian, a language meant for angels. You’ll figure this one out too,” he tried to reassure her.

 

“Enochian is easier than this,” she grumbled, folding her arms and resting her chin on them.

 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “I beg to differ.”

 

“Says the Archangel that can read and speak any language,” she said sarcastically.

 

“I could just give you that ability.”

 

She glared at him. “No, we still don't know what the hell is going on with your grace. There is no point wasting it on things like that. Translating takes longer, but it's doable without angel mojo.” 

 

“Then what do you suggest?” he said, putting his feet onto the floor and placing the book on the desk.

 

She propped herself back up on her elbows. “Well, for starters, my Archangel best friend could get his ass over here and tell me what I'm doing wrong!”

 

“I'm your best friend?” he asked, smirking at her.

 

She finally smiled. “Just get your ass over here and look at this….please.”

 

“Well, since you asked so nicely.” 

 

Gabriel got up from his chair and crossed the room to where Arianna laid on his bed. He picked up the book she had pushed to the floor and sat down next to her, opening the book to the page she had been on as he did. Arianna pushed herself up and sat on her knees, scooting herself close enough so she could look over Gabriel’s shoulder while he read.

 

Gabriel turned his head to look at her with a somewhat confused look on his face. 

 

“Where did you get this book?”

 

“It’s from the second round of books Edmee sent; the ones that Sam picked up yesterday. Why?”

 

Gabriel pursed his lips, trying not to laugh. “I don't think she meant to send you this one. It’s a book on ancient agriculture.” 

 

Arianna dropped her forehead onto Gabriel’s shoulder and let out an exasperated sigh. 

 

“No wonder I was having such a hard time?! How did I miss that?!”

 

“When was the last time you slept more than 2 hours at a time?” he asked, closing the book.

 

She raised her head to look at him. The last time she had slept for more than 2 hours at a time was the night she fell asleep talking to Gabriel. Like everyone else, she had thrown herself into finding an answer to their problems, and sleep had fallen to the bottom of the priority list. It seemed to be taken its toll on her now.

 

“The fact that you can't or won't answer that is worrisome. You're running yourself ragged, Ari. You can't help anyone if you can't think straight,” Gabriel said, tossing the book onto the floor. “You need sleep.”

 

She dropped her forehead to his shoulder again. 

 

“I need to get out of this bunker for a while. I'm going crazy locked up in here,” she said.

 

“You and everyone else,” he said, chuckling.

 

Arianna’s phone began to ring in her back pocket. She reluctantly raised her head from Gabriel’s shoulder and took out the phone. Seeing that the screen read “Edmee”, Arianna tapped the answer icon and then turned on the speakerphone.

 

“Hello, Edmee.” she said as cheerfully as she could manage.

 

“Oh my sweet girl, you sound exhausted! Are you sleeping? Are you eating?” Edmee’s Cajun accent was laced with worry.

 

“No,” Gabriel mumbled.

 

Arianna glared at him. He smirked back at her.

 

“Is that the Archangel I hear?” Edmee asked.

 

“Uh, yeah, he was helping me with one of the books you sent,” Arianna said, “Which, by the way, I think you may have sent me the wrong books by mistake,” she added.

 

“Hello, Gabriel. How are you?” Edmee asked ignoring what Arianna had said.

 

“Uh, I'm well. How are you?” Gabriel answered.

 

“Just as well,” Edmee said.

 

Arianna rolled her eyes. 

 

“Edmee, what about the books?” she asked, trying to be as respectful as she could.

 

“Yes, yes, my sweet girl. That’s why I'm calling. It appears Remy mixed up the last package I sent you. Now that I've had a second chance to look at what I was going to send you, I don't think it would have been helpful anyway. I do, however, have a few things that will help with this Guardian thing you are working on and possibly help with Gabriel’s grace.” 

 

“That's fantastic!” Arianna said, ecstatic to have even just a little bit of hope for good news.

 

“Yes, but they don't travel well. You will have to come home and see me, sweet girl.”

 

“OK, I'll leave today.” 

 

“Oh and you will need to bring Gabriel with you.”

 

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

“Good, Remy and I can't wait to see you. One more question before I go.”

 

Arianna hesitated for a moment. 

 

“Yeah?” she said slowly.

 

“Did you try that Whiskey yet?” Edmee asked.

 

Arianna instantly blushed crimson. Gabriel raised an eyebrow, looking at her questioningly.

 

“Uh...um…” Arianna stammered.

 

Edmee laughed. “You really should try it. You know how much you enjoy that honey whiskey.” 

 

Arianna’s blush darkened. “I...uh...I will let you know when we head out, Edmee,” Arianna said desperately, trying to change the subject. 

 

She was trying to look anywhere but at Gabriel. She could still feel his eyes on her, trying to figure out her reaction to Edmee’s seemingly innocent question. If only he knew what his eyes did to her every time he looked in her own.

 

Edmee laughed. “OK, my sweet girl. I will see you and Gabriel soon. Bye for now.”

 

“Bye, Edmee.” Arianna hung up and dropped the phone onto the bed. She looked at Gabriel to see him looking at her expectantly.

 

“Are you going to tell me what she meant by that?” he asked.

 

She laughed nervously, suddenly realizing how close they were sitting to each other. 

 

“No.”

 

Gabriel’s mouth dropped open. “Why not?!”

 

Arianna thought briefly about closing the distance between them and pressing her lips to his. But, not knowing how he would react, she decided against it. She didn't know he was thinking the same thing.

 

A knock at Gabriel’s door saved her from having to answer his question.

 

Gabriel turned his head to look towards the door. 

 

“Yeah?” he called out, indicating for whoever was knocking to come in.

 

The door opened, and in walked Luke and Jay. Jay looked at his sister and smiled knowingly while Luke immediately became uncomfortable.

 

“You guys are sitting really close together,” the eldest of the two blurted out.

 

Gabriel smirked while Arianna blushed again, however neither moved.

 

“Dude!” Jay said, and shoved his brother.

 

Arianna crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you guys want?” she asked, desperate to change the subject again. 

 

Luke sat down in Gabriel’s desk chair and Jay leaned against the desk, crossing his arms.

 

“When was the last time you heard from Dylan?” Luke asked.

 

Arianna thought for a moment. “Um...I believe it was right before everything went down with Cas’ wings. He had just finished a werewolf hunt in Alabama. Why?”

 

Luke and Jay shared a worried look.

 

“That was the last time I heard from him too. Now neither one of us can get a hold of him,” Luke said.

 

“It could just be Dylan being Dylan guys. You know how he just unplugs every now and then. He did mention he was going to stay in Alabama for a little while,” Arianna said.

 

“It could be, but we both think we need to check on him. Sam agrees too,” Jay said.

 

“The three of us are heading out for Alabama today. Do you want to come with?” Luke asked.

 

Arianna and Gabriel looked at each other and then back to the two brothers.

 

“Actually, guys, I just got off the phone with Edmee. She needs to see us, so we’re heading out for New Orleans shortly,” Arianna said.

 

Luke was uncomfortable again. “We? As in you and Gabriel? On a sixteen hour road trip? Just the two of you?” he asked.

 

Gabriel lowered his head to look at the ground trying not to laugh.

 

“Yes,” Arianna said, a little annoyed at her brother.

 

Luke opened his mouth to respond but Jay, sensing the coming argument, cut him off.

 

“So, it's settled then. Sam, Luke, and I will head out to Alabama while Gabriel and Ari head down to Louisiana. Jack and Castiel can hold down the fort here,” Jay said, giving his brother a warning look.

 

Luke took his brother’s hint and leaned back in the desk chair with his arms crossed over his chest. 

 

“Yeah, it's settled then,” he said begrudgingly.

 

* * *

 

Jay shut the hood of Aianna’s dark blue Camaro and sat down on it. He had just finished helping her load everything she had packed for the trip and checked the fluids in her car.

 

“Everything looks good. I refilled your emergency car supplies in the trunk, too. Sam showed me where Dean keeps all his car stuff and told me to take whatever I needed. I’ll replace what I took when we all get back,” he said. 

 

Arianna joined him on the hood of her car. 

 

“Thanks, Jay. I could have done all that though,” she said.

 

Jay smiled at his sister. “I know. It’s my job to at least try and take care of you.”

 

Arianna smiled back at her brother.

 

Jay glanced around the garage to make sure they were alone. “Have you told Gabriel about Akashic yet?” he asked in a low voice.

 

Arianna had told Jay about what the Gahe had told her once he had sent Sam back to the Impala. Jay was finally convinced that it had not been a dream, and he told her that she should tell Gabriel about it.

 

“Not yet,” she said.

 

“Why? And don't tell me you haven't had time. The two of you have been connected at the hip for the last week.”

 

She sighed. “I don't know. I guess I just can't figure out how to tell him.”

 

“You might want to figure that out. It has to be connected with the shit show we are going through right now.”

 

“I know,” she said, staring at the ground.

 

Jay put his arm around his sister’s shoulders. 

 

“Why don't you talk to Edmee about it and then go from there,” he suggested.

 

Arianna nodded. “Yeah, I will.”

 

Jay removed his arm and looked at her, debating on whether or not to ask his next question. Arianna looked up and met his eyes, furrowing her brow at him.

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“What's going on with you and Gabriel?” he asked.

 

“What do you mean? We’re friends,” she said, turning her head away from him.

 

He smirked. “Is that all you are?”

 

She snapped her head back in his direction. “Of course that's all we are!”

 

“Really? Cause two people that are  _ just friends _ usually don't look like they  are about to start making out when someone walks in on them.”

 

“He's an angel, Jay!”

 

“Yeah, an angel that shacked up with porn stars. I'm pretty sure his angelic virtue hasn't been an issue for quite some time now,” he said laughing.

 

“Exactly, porn stars, Jay. He's not going to be interested in me,” she said, turning her head to look at the ground as she absentmindedly ran her fingers over her forearm where her scars were hidden under her blue long-sleeved shirt.

 

Jay saw her tracing her scars through her sleeve and his smile fell from his face. 

 

“Does he know?” He took her hand away and held it.

 

She pulled away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. 

 

“We haven't talked about it, but he's figured it out thanks to Luke’s big mouth.”

 

“If anyone would understand, it would be him. You should talk to him about it.”

 

“I don't need his pity.”

 

“I really don't think that would be the case, Ari.”

 

“No, Jay.”

 

“If you have feelings for him -”

 

“I don't! Just drop it, Jay!”

 

They sat in silence until the others filed into the garage. They spoke while they loaded the Impala, the routes they would take, the way they would meet up at Edmee’s after Sam, Luke, and Jay checked on Dylan, and how Castiel and Jack would continue their efforts on tracking down Michael.  

 

Gabriel, seeing the look on Jay and Arianna’s faces, walked over to where they sat on her car.

 

“Everything alright?” Gabriel asked.

 

Arianna quickly composed herself and smiled as she hopped down from the hood of her car.

 

“Yeah, everything is fine,” she lied. “Are you ready to go?”

 

Gabriel looked to Jay, who shook his head and slid off the hood, standing next to his sister.

 

“Yeah, everything is fine,” he lied, playing along for his sister.

 

Luke walked over and put his arm around Arianna. 

 

“You gonna be OK without us, sis?” he said, trying to sound like he was joking, and barely hiding his sideways glance at Gabriel. He had promised Jay he wouldn't voice his reservations about his sister going off alone with the Archangel.

 

Arianna laughed and playfully smacked her brother on the chest. 

 

“Yes, Luke, I'm a grown woman, I can manage driving to Edmee’s without my guard dog big brothers.”

 

“Yeah, except you won't be driving,” Gabriel said, holding up her car keys in his hand. “Jay and I talked about it. I'm driving,  _ you’re _ sleeping.”

 

Arianna glared at Jay. “Not cool, Jay! It’s my car!”

 

“And you have slept maybe a total of 10 hours over the past week. You can drive the second half of the trip after you rest!” Jay said in a authoritative tone he didn't use often.

 

“Fine!” Arianna said angrily

 

With that, Jay and Luke hugged their sister and they all said their farewells. Everyone got into their respective cars and started toward their separate destinations.

 

* * *

 

Dylan opened his eyes with a painful groan. He was laying on an old couch in what looked like an abandoned house. The only light in the room was a small lantern on the floor a few feet from where he had awoken. Dylan pushed himself into a sitting position to look around the room, but he couldn't see very much; there was only enough light to show the couch he sat on and that the floor was made from old beaten wood.

 

“What the hell?” he said, rubbing his head.

 

“You finally woke up. You've been out for a week,” a male voice said.

 

Dylan tried to stand, but quickly discovered he couldn't move his body anymore.

 

“Who or what is there?” he asked angrily.

 

The man from his door at the hotel stepped into the light, smiling darkly.

 

“You!” Dylan said, struggling to move.

 

The man laughed. “My name is Uriel.”

 

“Wish I could say it’s nice to meet you, but it really isn't,” Dylan said sarcastically.

 

Uriel closed the distance between them quickly and punched Dylan in the mouth. Dylan’s head flung back into the wall behind him. When he looked back to Uriel he had blood coming from the corner of his mouth and a cold, deadly glare in his eyes. Dylan spit blood out of his mouth, making sure it landed on Uriel’s boot.

 

“What do you want you son of a bitch?” Dylan hissed.

 

“You are going to tell me what Sam Winchester is up to.”

 

“I don't know any Sam Winchester,” Dylan lied.

 

Uriel laughed wickedly. “I was so hoping you would want to do this the fun way,” he said, dropping an angel blade into his hand from his sleeve.

 

* * *

 

Luke was in the backseat of the Impala with his back leaning against the door on the drivers side, his legs and feet stretched across the seat. He stared at his phone’s black screen while Jay, in the front passenger seat, used his own to try to track down Dylan’s. Sam kept his attention on the road as he drove. 

 

Luke double-tapped the screen of his phone, watching his lock screen light up along with the time. When he saw that he had no new text notifications, he threw the phone in his lap and sighed angrily.

 

“What's up, Luke?” Jay asked, not looking up from his phone.

 

“Have you heard from Ari? She hasn't text me back,” Luke said.

 

Jay laughed. “Dude, you sound like a fifteen year old girl! It's been 4 hours since we left; she's probably sleeping!”

“Yeah, that  _ is _ what you guys wanted her to do,” Sam said.

 

“Am I the only one worried about her being on a road trip with an Archangel she met two weeks ago!?” Luke asked angrily.

 

“YES!” Sam and Jay said in unison.

 

Luke huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

 

“Bro, you seriously have to get over this paranoia. Ari and Gabe have struck up a friendship. She trusts him and even if you don't, you should still trust her judgement,” Jay said as he tried to hide how annoyed he was with his brother.

 

“I can vouch for Gabriel, Luke. He wouldn't let anything happen to Ari.” Sam said.

 

“He's the thing I'm worried about happening to her,” Luke said, anger still thick in his voice.

 

Sam looked at Luke through the rear view mirror. 

 

“Gabriel wouldn't hurt her, Luke,” he said defensively.

 

“I'm not worried about him hurting her,” Luke grumbled.

 

Sam’s eyes widened when he realized what Luke had meant. “Oh!”

 

Jay laughed and looked back at his brother. “That's really none of your business, Luke. But, if it makes you feel any better, Ari says they are just friends.”

 

“Yeah, I believe that,” Luke said sarcastically.

 

“So, let’s change the subject!” Sam suggested. “We've got a good thirteen hours left in this trip. You know most of my background now, tell me yours. How did you get into hunting?”

 

“That's a good idea, Sam!” Jay said.

 

Luke rolled his eyes and turned his head to look out the window.

 

“We are originally from Clinton, Tennessee. Mom was a nurse, Dad was in the Army. From a young age, Dad had taught the three of us how to defend ourselves in a fight, which came in handy. Luke and I were eighteen and Ari was sixteen. We had gone on a family camping trip the summer before Luke and I went to college. A werewolf came into our campsite, and it got to into our parents’ tent before they even knew what had happened. The three of us woke up and ran out of our tent to find this thing wearing our parents blood. We fought it off the best we could, but none of us knew what it was or how to kill it,” Jay explained.

 

“Ari was a natural though,” Luke interjected. “Jay and I held own own, but even at sixteen, Ari kicked that thing’s ass.” He smiled proudly.

 

“Hell yeah, she did!” Jay said, just as proud of his sister.

 

“Ari had just grabbed a cast iron skillet and was wailing on the things head when this guy ran up, pushed Ari out of the way, and tried to shoot the thing. But it grabbed him and snapped his leg,” Luke said.

 

“Luke and I grabbed the guy and pull him out of the way, and Ari grabbed the gun. He told her she had to shoot it in the heart and she did. Dead on, on the first shot. Turns out, the guy was a hunter named Eric Schultz,” Jay said.

 

“After we dealt with the aftermath of all that, he ended up staying with us while his leg healed. Ari took advantage of that and made sure she found out as much about what he did as she could. He tried to keep her out of it, but I'm pretty sure you have figured out how Ari is once she sets her mind on something,” Luke said.

 

Sam laughed. “Yeah, she doesn't stop.”

 

“After that, one thing lead to another, and Eric healed up and found a case. Ari followed him, so we followed her. Eric tripped when he found us! When he got in trouble with the angry spirit he was hunting, we had to basically figure everything out on our own to save him. Well, actually, Ari worked out most of it. We pretty much followed her lead. After that, Eric realized that Ari had found her calling and that we weren't leaving our sister, so he took us under his wing and taught us everything he knew,” Jay said.

 

“We hunted with him for a few years, but one night a Shapeshifter got the upper hand on him and killed him. We pretty much navigated through everything on our own after that. It helped that hunting just seemed to be second nature to Ari. We worked with other hunters here and there, and made a few good friends. That's how we met Dylan. But, for the most part we kept to ourselves, hopping from case to case,” Luke said.

 

“Then the almost apocalypse happened, and a lot of people started dying and angels got thrown into the mix of monsters we had to fight on a daily basis. Before you and Dean slammed Lucifer back in his cage, a few angels were looking for perfect vessels. We had an unfortunate run in with Raphael one night and that just changed everything,” Jay said.

 

“What happened with Raphael?” Sam asked.

 

“Uh...that's really Ari’s part of the story to go into detail about, but he held her captive for two months. We looked everywhere for her, and called on every supernatural being we could, and we came up with nothing. Finally after two months of searching, Edmee and Remy found us. They explained to us that Edmee was a psychic witch and she had had a vision, and knew where to find Ari. We were out of options and at our wits end, so we had no choice but to trust them. They were the first ones willing to not only help us, but to fight beside us. Edmee taught us some things that we would need to save Ari, and then Remy went with us to get her back,” Jay said.

 

“Ari was pretty banged up when we finally got to her. So, Edmee insisted we bring her back to her house to get better. We were there for a good six months, and as soon as Ari was well enough to walk, she was onto Edmee about teaching her about angels. It started out with just warding and a few defensive measures, but, well you see where she is now,” Luke said.

 

“Over those six months, Remy and Edmee became family. Their home became our home. Edmee has saved our asses in one way or another more than we can count over the past seven years,” Jay finished.

 

“So, Edmee knows a lot about angels too?” Sam asked.

 

“Edmee seems to know a lot about everything. She's a crazy powerful psychic and a self made witch. She's only ever used either of her gifts for good though,” Luke explained.

 

“Sounds like meeting her is going to be interesting,” Sam said.

 

Jay laughed. “You have no idea.”

 

* * *

 

Arianna let out a frustrated sigh as she threw herself backwards on to the bed in the hotel room she and Gabriel had stopped at for the night. Sleeping in the car had proved difficult, and they were still seven hours from New Orleans. Insisting she needed sleep, Gabriel had convinced her to stop and get a motel room. She wasn't sure if it was because he was genuinely concerned for her, or because the lack of sleep had started to take its toll on her mood. She had been rather snippy the past two hours of their trip, and Luke’s phone calls every thirty minutes didn’t help. Currently, she had just answered another one of his calls, and told him that they had stopped for at least a few hours.

 

“What do you mean you stopped at a motel?! Why?!” Luke demanded. His angry voice boomed loudly through her phone.

 

Arianna held her phone to her ear with one hand and had the other hand tangled in her hair. 

 

“I couldn't fall asleep in the car, Luke. We are still seven hours from Edmee’s and to be honest I'm starting to get a little bitchy.” 

 

On the other bed beside hers, Gabriel laughed at her words and she shot a glare in his direction. He smirked at her.

 

“Why couldn't you sleep? Was Gabriel bothering you?” Luke asked, anger still in his voice.

 

“What the hell, Luke? No, it wasn't him. You know how uncomfortable it is to sleep in a car, and your paranoid ass didn't help. You have called every thirty minutes for the past five hours!” she yelled into the phone.

 

If she was being honest with herself, she knew the real reason she couldn't sleep. She knew falling asleep when she was this exhausted would just bring on nightmares that would cause her to wake up screaming, and she didn't want to do that with Gabriel right beside her. She knew if she could just get to Edmee, she would be able to work her magic and put Arianna into a dreamless sleep. But Gabriel had insisted she needed sleep, and when he went with the tactic of saying he was tired too, she couldn't refuse anymore. She had every intention of waiting until he fell asleep, then doing whatever was necessary to keep herself awake, until she got to Edmee.

 

“Well excuse me for wanting to make sure my little sister is safe,” Luke growled.

 

Arianna rolled her eyes. 

 

“Oh please, Luke! Don't give me that bull shit! You don't bat an eye when I go in guns blazing against whatever monster of the week we are hunting, but I drive to Edmee’s without you, you come unglued! What's the real reason you are tripping out on me?” she demanded.

 

“I can probably answer that,” Gabriel muttered, trying not to laugh.

“I don't need input from the peanut gallery!” she snapped at him.

“What did he say?” Luke demanded, with fresh anger in his voice.

“I asked you a question first!” she yelled, matching her brother’s anger.

She could hear Jay and Sam in the background telling Luke to stop. Jay and Luke argued too low for her to tell what they were saying, then Jay's voice came on the line.

“Hey little sister. Take a breath,” he said in the voice he always used when he was trying to calm her anger.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm herself.

“Better?” he asked.

“I guess.” She was still angry, but she knew she needed to calm down.

“I'm glad you guys decided to stop. You need to get some rest; we all do. I got a hit on Dylan’s cell finally, and it seems he's just outside of Mobile. We are all getting delirious over here too, so we are going to stop here soon as well.”

“Text me when you do,” Arianna said, much calmer than before.

“I will and I’ll make sure Luke lays off.”

She heard Luke protest in the background and mutter “fucking angel”. She decided to ignore him.

“Thanks, Jay. You guys be careful. I love you.”

“Love you too, sis.”

Arianna hung up her phone and tossed it on the ground.

“You alright, Sugar?” Gabriel asked.

Arianna turned her head to look at him. She suddenly felt really bad for yelling at him. 

“Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry for being a bitch to you,” she said, sitting up on her bed to face him.

He laughed. “It’s perfectly ok.”

“Luke just makes me so mad sometimes!” she said, picking her phone up off of the ground and placing it on the nightstand between the two beds.

“Yeah, Luke doesn't like me does he?” Gabriel asked, smirking at her.

She laughed and smiled at him. “It’s not like you help matters much by pretending to flirt with me.”

“It’s fun watching steam come out of his ears, and by the way, I'm not pretending,” he said with a smile on his lips.

“You know, Gabe, we talked about this self destructive...wait what?” What he had just admitted finally sunk in and she felt herself blush.

“I said, I'm not pretending.” His face showed that he meant what he said.

Arianna’s blush deepened and her eyes widened. She didn't know what to say or do. She sat on the edge of her bed, looking into his sunshine and whiskey eyes. He was waiting for her reaction.

“Gabriel,” she finally managed to whisper.

Arianna’s phone began to ring breaking the moment. Her eyes quickly went to it and when she saw “Edmee” across the screen, she answered.

“Hello, Edmee,” she said, once she had turned on the speakerphone.

“Hello, my sweet girl. How are you?” Edmee’s thick accent was comforting over the phone.

“I'm good.”

“You know better than to lie to me.” 

“The woman is good,” Gabriel, said smiling.

“Thank you, Gabriel. Would you mind giving Arianna and I a minute to talk?” Edmee asked sweetly.

“Not at all,” he said.

Gabriel smiled and winked at Arianna before he left the room.

“Tell me what's on your mind, sweet girl,” Edmee encouraged as soon as she heard the click of the door.

Arianna laid back on the bed as all the emotions and doubt she had been keeping bottled up the past two weeks came flooding in on her.

“What if I'm not smart enough to help them, Edmee. The easiest thing on our list almost ended with a dead Archangel. So far, Cas’ wings are the only thing I've been able to fix. I can't figure out why Gabriel’s grace isn't charging. I don't even know where to begin on Jack. Finding someway to pull Micheal out of Dean is proving to be just as difficult, and now we have this Guardian stuff that we can't find a damn thing on. Oh, and let's not forget we have to figure out how to stop Micheal as well, who, from the stories I've been told, seems to be way more powerful than an Archangel should be! I'm supposed to be this  _ angel expert _ and so far I've done nothing!” Arianna was crying by the time she finished.

“Arianna, stop doubting yourself. You have more ability than you give yourself credit for. You fixed Castiel’s wings and you saved Gabriel’s life.  _ You _ did that. Yes, you have more work to do, but you aren't alone in this. You and I will figure out together what is going on with Gabriel’s grace. I think I may have an idea, but I will need to see him to be sure. The other solutions will come to you as well, I have seen that much. Just have faith in yourself and your friends.” Edmee’s voice was calming.

Arianna wiped her eyes. “Can't you just tell me what to do?” she asked.

“You know I don't have those answers, sweet girl.”

The two were silent for a few minutes while Arianna stopped her tears. Just having Edmee on the phone helped soothe all of Arianna's frustrations and fears. She couldn't wait to be at the place she called home.

“Are you feeling better?” Edmee finally asked.

“A little, yes.”

“Good, now tell me why you are fighting sleep. You know what happens when you get over exhausted.”

Arianna laughed. Gabriel was right, the woman was good.

“That's exactly why. I don't want Gabriel to have to deal with me waking up screaming and then have to come up with a reason why.”

“Then tell him the truth. You know he deals with the same thing. You never know, maybe the two of you can heal each other in ways no one else can. You found each other for a reason. It’s time to let down that wall you've built around yourself.”

“Edmee…”

“Tell him Arianna, and show him. I know what you are thinking, and he may just prove you wrong.”

“I’ll think about it.” 

She could almost hear Edmee smile. “That's my sweet girl. I will see you soon.”

“See you soon.” Arianna hung up her phone and sat up on the bed again.

She laid her phone back onto the nightstand and looked around the empty room. She was exhausted mentally and physically. Tears stung her eyes again as she heard the door open.

“Is it ok to come back in?” Gabriel asked, sticking his head through the open door.

“Yeah,” she said, staring at the wall beside her, her voice cracking because of the tears in her eyes. She prayed he didn't hear it.

She heard him shut the door. A few moments later, he was sitting beside her. 

“Why are you crying?” he asked softly.

“I'm not,” she lied.

Gabriel reached up and gently turned her head to face him. Tears were running down her face and he wiped them away.

“Wanna try that again?” he asked.

“I'm just really exhausted,” she said.

“Then why are you refusing to sleep?”

She pulled away from him and stood up, wrapping her arms around herself. She tried to come up with any excuse besides the truth as to why she didn't want to sleep. Finally, she gave in.

“Because of these,” she said, pulling up both of the sleeves of her shirt to her elbows and revealing her scars to Gabriel. “Because every time I get too exhausted, the nightmares of Raphael cutting into me and burning me for two months are the only dreams I have. Because I always wake up screaming, and I really didn't want you to have to deal with it. You're dealing with enough as is, and you don't need to deal with me falling apart over something that happened seven years ago!” 

Arianna closed her eyes as her tears started to fall, and wrapped her arms around herself again. 

Gabriel stood up and pulled her into his arms. He felt her wrap her arms around his waist and he held her while she cried into his chest. After a few minutes he pulled away just enough so he could hook two fingers under her chin and tilt her head so she was looking at him.

“Do you really think I would judge you for being as broken as I am?” he asked. 

“It's not that,” she said, pulling away from him and sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

“Then what is it?” he asked, sitting down next to her.

“I'm supposed to be the one helping you. I know what it's like when this shit is still fresh. For the most part, I can handle it, but sometimes it gets the better of me. I don't know why.”

Gabriel reached over and laced his fingers with hers. 

“You don't always have to be the strong one, you know. You can let someone help you.”

“I'm not so good at that,” she said with a weak smile.

“Why did he take you?” Gabriel asked.

“He never went in to a lot of detail, but I remember him saying that the Winchesters had found the key to Lucifer’s cage, and he needed to prepare in case they succeeded. He said he needed a perfect Archangel vessel, and that I would be able to give him all the power he needed to restart the Apocalypse if the Winchesters stopped it. When I refused he tried to convince me,” she explained.

Gabriel furrowed his brow. “Perfect vessel? That doesn't make sense. The only angels that had perfect vessels were Michael and Lucifer.”

“I know, but that's what he kept saying. Edmee thinks his desperation twisted his mind.” 

“How does Edmee and Remy fit into this?” he asked.

“When Raphael took me, Luke and Jay did everything they could to find me. They went to witches, demons, even a few gods to try and find someway to get to me. But, either they didn't have the power to help or wouldn't help because they didn't want to get mixed up with the angel drama. Finally, Edmee and Remy found them. Edmee had had a vision about me and what was happening. She and Remy tracked down my brothers and offered their help. Jay and Luke were desperate, so they just trusted them. Edmee taught Jay and Luke how to fight an Archangel and then used a tracking spell to find me. Remy, Luke, and Jay stormed the place one night catching Raphael by surprise. They fought and killed his guards, and then used a banishing symbol to get rid of Raphael. Edmee had sent them with hex bags that warded them against every angel in existence, so once they got me out of there, Raphael couldn't find us. By the time they got to me though, I was almost dead.  They brought me back to Edmee and she spent the better part of the next six months trying to heal me. She kept me alive and taught me everything she knew about the angels. She got me back on my feet, but even with all her spells and know-how, she couldn't make the scars from what he did to me go away. She said only another Archangel could heal that,” Arianna explained.

Gabriel traced one of the scars on her forearm with his free hand. 

“I can try if you want,” he offered.

“No, I don't want you wasting your grace on trying to heal something I've already learned to live with,” she said, gently squeezing the hand that was intertwined with hers.

“It wouldn't be wasting it.” 

“No, Gabe. It’s ok,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

“That explains why Luke is the way he is,” Gabriel said.

Arianna sighed. “Yeah, the way he is now is actually better than he used to be. You should have seen his reaction when I told them I wanted to start hunting again. He was furious.”

“You obviously won that one,” Gabriel laughed.

Arianna smiled. “It was either he gave in and went with me, or I went alone. He wasn't letting me go alone.”

Arianna stood up, pulling away from Gabriel. He watched her as she walked over to the window in the room and peeked through the curtain before leaning her back against the wall.

“I guess I've been harder on him than I should have been lately,” She said.

Gabriel stood up and walked over to where she stood. 

“Like you said, I haven't helped matters much.” He stood in front of her, smiling.

She laughed. “Still wanna flirt with me now?” she asked, sarcastically.

His smile dropped and he cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow at her. 

“If you think any of this changes how I feel about you, then you're out of your mind.”

“Come on, Gabe! Look at me!” she said, thrusting her arms out in front of her. “I'm covered in these horrible scars!”

Gabriel grabbed her wrists gently. “You're beautiful! The most beautiful woman I've ever seen! Do you think I care about those scars? I don't. I care about  _ you! _ I want  _ you!” _

Arianna opened her mouth to respond but before she could, Gabriel pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. She slid her arms around his neck, responding to his kiss as his hands slid down to her hips. The kiss was sweet but passionate at first, but when he slid his tongue along her bottom lip, she granted him access in to her mouth and it turned hungry.

He pushed her against the wall, pressing his hard body against hers. His hands started to slowly explore and she could feel the heat between her legs as she felt his hands find their way under her shirt. She moaned into his mouth when his hands found her breasts and gently teased her nipples through the thin fabric of her bra. 

He trailed hot kisses from her mouth to her ear where he gently bit down on her ear lobe, causing her to moan again. He continued his trail of open mouth kisses to her neck, where he bit down firmly.

“Gabriel!” She moaned his name and she felt him smile on her neck before he continued, alternating between kissing and biting.

Arianna pushed his leather jacket from his shoulders and Gabriel dropped his hands from her just long enough to let it fall to floor. He brought his mouth back to hers as his hands found her hips again, pulling her into him as he rolled his hips toward her.

Arianna whimpered as she felt his erection even through their layers of clothes. She ran her hands down his chest, taking her time to outline his toned chest and stomach with her fingers before she gripped the bottom of his shirt and started to tug it upwards.

He broke the kiss and softly bit her bottom lip. “Are you sure?” he asked, looking into her eyes.

“Yes,” she said, breathless, continuing to tug his shirt up and over his head, throwing it to the floor.

Gabriel dropped to his knees. He lifted the bottom of her shirt just enough to expose her stomach and he began kissing his way up her body, starting at the waist of her jeans. She tangled her fingers in his hair, throwing her head back and moaning his name as he lifted her shirt over her breasts, slowly kissing his way up to them. He was standing again when his mouth found her nipple through the fabric of her bra. She gasped sharply when he bit down.

She raised her arms over her head as he pushed her shirt the rest of the way off. He ran his fingertips down her arms, to her shoulders, and then to the clasp of her bra. He connected his lips with hers again as he unhooked and removed it. As their tongues danced together, she could feel her wetness soaking her panties.

He continued to trace his fingers down her ribs and to her stomach. He ran circles around her hips until his hands descended to her firm butt. He gave it a quick squeeze before he slipped his hands to her thighs, picking her up effortlessly and wrapping her legs around his waist. He never broke the kiss in the process.

He carried her to the bed and broke the kiss as he laid her down with her legs hanging off the bed from her knees. He crawled over her and placed his mouth on her neck again, kissing, biting, sucking. He enticed moans from her every time he bit down. 

He ran his fingers up her stomach, feeling her muscles quiver at his touch. He then cupped one of her breasts with his hand as he ran his tongue down her neck all the way to the nipple of her other breast. She moaned and screamed his name, writhing beneath him as he tugged and rolled one nipple with his fingers and the other with his mouth. 

He slowly ran his hand from her breast down her stomach to the button of her jeans. He undid the button and pushed her zipper down. He then stuck his hand inside and barely touched her soaking wet slit through her panties. She arched her back and sucked in a sharp breath of air at the slight touch. Between him sucking on her nipple and feeling the warmth of his fingers teasing her now aching pussy, she almost felt like she could come right then and there. She bucked her hips into his hand desperate for more friction where she needed it most.

Still barely running his finger back and forth over her slit through her panties, he kissed his way back up to her ear. He pushed the fabric of her panties aside and finally started running agonizingly slow circles around her clit. Her hips involuntarily bucked again as she moaned and whimpered.

“You’re already so wet, and I haven't even finished taking your clothes off yet,” Gabriel said into her ear. The deep register of his voice causing her to shiver. 

“Then maybe you should fix that,” she said, running her fingers through his hair.

He dipped his finger into her entrance and she was writhing underneath him again, screaming his name.

“You want me to take the rest of your clothes off, Sugar?” he asked. His voice was deep with lust.

“Yes!” she managed to get out.

“Mmmm…“ He licked a stripe from her ear to her shoulder and back to her ear. “You want me to make you come?” He added a second finger inside of her and slowly started pumping his fingers in and out as much as her jeans would allow.

“Yes!” she whimpered.

He licked his way down to her nipple, taking it in his mouth and sucking. She arched her back into him. He kissed his way back up to her ear as his fingers pumped a little faster in and out of her soaking wet pussy. 

“Do you want me to make you come with my fingers or my tongue?” he asked as he bit and sucked her neck.

“Your tongue!” she choked out between moans.

“I was so hoping you would say that.” He kissed her lips.

He removed his hand from her pussy and moved his hand to rest on her hip as his tongue explored her mouth again. She whimpered in protest when his fingers left her. He trailed hot open mouth kisses to her neck and down her chest. He took his time with each of her breasts, licking and sucking and then even more time sucking and biting each of her nipples. She ran her hands through his hair tugging every time his teeth connected with her skin.

He continued his path down her stomach to her open jeans. He hooked his fingers in the waistband, pulling them down her legs with her panties. When her pants were to her knees he stood and then pulled them all the way off, taking her shoes off with them. He looked down at her lying naked on the bed and smiled as their eyes met. Their pupils were both blown with lust. 

“You're beautiful,” he said, dropping to his knees.

He wrapped his hands around her ankles and slowly ran his hands up her calves to her knees. He spread her legs wide and moved his hands up her thighs to where they connected at her hips. He lowered head and began placing kisses up her inner thigh, making his way to her sex. She shivered when she felt him close to where she needed him. He could feel the heat from her core and see her juices flowing for him. He got close to her clit and blew hot air onto it. She bucked her hips and whimpered.

“Gabriel, please!” she begged. 

He stuck his tongue out and circled her clit with it. She arched her back screaming his name. He splayed one of his hands out over her stomach as he sucked her clit into his mouth. He alternated between circling her clit with his tongue and running his tongue along her entrance. She tangled her fingers in his hair as she bucked her hips into his face and screamed his name.

He moved his hand down her stomach toward her pussy until his thumb came in contact with her clit. His thumb rubbed and circled her nub as he stuck his tongue in her entrance as far as he could and started to tongue fuck her. Her screams and moans got louder as he pushed her closer to the edge.

“Gabriel! Don't stop!” she moaned. 

She could feel her muscles clenching and the heat inside her growing as she neared her orgasm.

Gabriel sped up his motions, he could feel she was close. He quickly replaced his thumb with his tongue and stuck three fingers inside of her. Her velvet walls barely stretched enough to accommodate his fingers as he pumped them in and out of her at a incredibly fast pace. He flicked her clit with his tongue furiously as he felt her walls tighten around his fingers.

“Gabriel!!!” Arianna saw stars as her orgasm hit her hard and ran through her whole body.

He continued to pump his fingers in and out of her as he watched her ride out her orgasm. He withdrew his fingers when she had come down. She raised her head to look into his whiskey eyes and smiled as she pushed herself back until she was fully on the bed. She motioned with her finger for him to come to her.

She watched him as he stood up and undid the button of his own pants and pushed them down his legs along with his boxers, finally letting his rather large erection spring free. He kicked his pants, boxers, and shoes off, then crawled up to Arianna on the bed connecting his lips with hers as soon as he was close enough. 

He placed himself between her legs and took his cock in one hand. He rubbed the head of his cock against her clit as he kissed her, making her moan into his mouth. She wrapped her legs around him as she arched into him. He broke the kiss and let go of his cock, placing his hand on her hip as he slowly pushed the head into her entrance. He watched her as she threw her head back and moaned his name again. Her walls gave resistance to his impressive size as he slowly pushed in, giving her time to get used to the feeling. She gasped when he entered her completely.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he began to thrust. She met his thrusts and they began a steady rhythm. He increased his pace little by little until she was writhing beneath him again as he pulled moan after breathy moan out of her.

He moved one of his arms to prop himself up enough to put one of her legs over his shoulder. With the new position he went even deeper into her. His thrusts became faster and faster.

“Harder!” she screamed.

Gabriel locked his hand around her ankle and held her in place by her hip as he began to pound into her fast and hard.

“Arianna!” he growled as he felt her walls tighten around him. 

He pounded her harder and faster into the mattress, making her scream his name over and over.

She could feel the heat inside of her growing again as he fucked her hard toward another orgasm. She was so close to the edge again. She could feel he was close too as his thrusts quickened and became erratic.

“Come for me Arianna!!” he moaned as he pounded his cock in to her.

A few more hard thrusts and she was flying over the edge again as an earth shattering orgasm rocked her whole body.

Feeling her walls clenching around him sent Gabriel into his own mind blowing orgasm. He continued to thrust hard into her as they both rode out their orgasms together. 

When they had both come down, he removed her leg from his shoulder, guiding it back to the bed. He laid down next to her, reaching his hand down and intertwining his fingers with hers. They laid there in silence as they waited on their breathing to return to normal.

When he had caught his breath, Gabriel reached over and grabbed the blanket from the other bed and laid it on top of them. He pulled Arianna into his arms with her head resting on his chest. They soon both drifted off into the first peaceful sleep either of them had had in a long time.

As they slept a violet light softly glowed throughout the scars on Arianna’s body. 

* * *

Dylan was lying on the floor of the run-down abandoned house while Uriel continued to interrogate him. His face was bloody and cut up, eyes almost swollen shut, and his nose broken. The clothes he had been wearing hung on him in shreads, showing long random slices along his arms and chest, blood oozing from each cut.

Uriel grabbed what was left of the front of Dylan’s shirt and forced him into a sitting position. He punched him hard across the face.

“Where is the Winchester?!” Uriel screamed at him.

“I don't know any Winchesters,” Dylan lied.

Uriel screamed in frustration and anger and threw Dylan against the wall. The wall cracked, Dylan’s body sliding to the ground with a sickening thud.

There was a sound of rustling wings behind Uriel and he turned to see Michael standing behind him.

“What's taking so long Uriel?” he asked angrily.

Dylan raised his head and looked toward the new voice in the room. He focused hard through the slits of his swollen eyes; he knew that voice.

“He refuses to admit he knows the Winchester, sir,” Uriel said, feeling his resolve falter as he turned to look at the Archangel.

“What makes you think Sam Winchester even knows anything about the Guardian in the first place?!” Michael demanded.

“From what I have discovered of this world, the Winchesters are always at the heart of every world ending crisis, sir.”

Michael’s smile was bone chilling as he walked towards Dylan. He knelt down in front of him and forced his head up to look at him.

“There are easier ways to get the information we want,” Michael said coldly.

Dylan squinted at the Archangel in front of him. 

“Dean?!” he said in disbelief.

“Not quite,” Michael said as he placed his hand on the side of Dylan’s head.

A blood curdling scream escaped Dylan as Michael's fingertips began to glow. When he had finally lost consciousness, Michael roughly threw him to the ground and stood to face Uriel. 

“It seems this human has introduced Sam Winchester to a so-called angel expert,” Michael said, laughing. “She’s heavily warded against our kind though, so I can't see her face. He’s also spoken to the Winchester recently, so I'm sure he will come looking for him. Go back to the hotel room, make it look obvious that he's been taken so that the Winchester will come looking for him and lead us directly to this girl. If she is as good as this human thinks she is, she's the one that will lead us to the Guardian.”

* * *

Jay stood by the Impala, watching Sam and Luke inside the gas station they had stopped at for gas. Like he had told his sister, they had stopped to sleep the night before, and were just now getting back on the road. 

He took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Dylan’s number once again. 

 

Straight to his voicemail.

“Hey man, it's Jay...again. We are getting really worried about you. Luke, Sam and I are about 6 hours from Mobile, so hopefully we see you soon and we can all have a big laugh about this. Call one of us back, Dylan. Please.”

He hung up his phone and looked around the parking lot. He was truly worried about what they would find when they got to Mobile. Before they had laid down to sleep the night before, he and Sam managed to get a GPS signal on Dylan's phone that had let them know that his phone was in a motel room in the city, instead of outside the city limits where Jay had first thought he located him.

Jay brought up his contacts on his phone and scrolled down until he came to the name “Little Sister.” He pressed the call button and Arianna’s phone rang a few times before going to voicemail.

“Seriously!?” he grumbled in frustration.

It was the third time he had called her that morning. He hung up the phone and typed out a text message to her.

_ We are heading out. Call me. _

He shoved his phone back in his pocket as Luke and Sam walked up to the car.

“Any word from our sister yet?” Luke asked as he opened the back door to the Impala.

“Not yet. I'm sure she's still sleeping. It is pretty early still,” Jay answered, opening the front passenger door.

Luke rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath as he got in the car and slammed the door.

Jay looked over to Sam who was standing on the other side of the car. Jay smiled weakly at him.

“Sorry,” Jay muttered.

“It’s alright. Let’s get rolling, “ Sam said.

* * *

Arianna reluctantly opened her eyes. She was laying on her side up against Gabriel’s chest, her head resting on his bicep and his other arm draped over her stomach. She smiled as she placed her hand on the arm that was over her stomach. He stirred at her touch, nuzzling his nose into her shoulder and placing a kiss in the same spot.

“Good morning, Beautiful,” he said sleepily. “How did you-what the hell!?!” he exclaimed, jerking the blankets down.

Arianna quickly turned over to face him and saw him looking down at her with his eyes wide, mouth slightly agape.

“What's wrong?!” she asked worriedly.

He took her arm and held it up. “Look at yourself!”

Arianna looked down and gasped. Her expression now matched Gabriel’s as she discovered that the scars on her arm were gone. She quickly jerked all the blankets down to inspect the rest of her body. Every scar that had covered her the night before had disappeared.

“Did you do this?!” she asked, turning her head to look at him.

“Do I look like I did this?!”

“You were the only Archangel in the room last night!”

Gabriel pulled himself out of bed and grabbed his pants.

“If I did it, I did it without knowing,” he said, putting his pants on and throwing her own pair to her.

Arianna got out of bed and pulled them on, then crossed the room to pull on her bra. She grabbed their shirts and tossed Gabriel’s to him.

“How is that even possible?” she said, looking at her arms.

Gabriel pulled his shirt on and walked over to her. He took one of her arms in one of his hands and ran his other over her forearm. She watched him as he did the same to her other arm. Finally he looked up and met her eyes.

“It was Archangel power that healed you, I can sense that much. But how or why it happened without my knowledge, I don't know,” Gabriel tried to explain. “I can promise it wasn't because I wanted to change you. I wanted you just the way you were, and I still want you.”

Arianna smiled and placed her hand on his cheek. “I never thought that was why, Gabe. You made that clear last night.”

He took her hand from his face and kissed her wrist softly. The look on his face suddenly turned mischievous. 

“I could make it clear again, if you’d like,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Arianna laughed and kissed him. “As much as I would love to let you do that, we really need to get on the road.”

 

“Then you might want to put your shirt on, because you're killing me in that bra,” he said, smiling.

Arianna laughed as she pulled away from him and pulled her shirt on over her head.

Gabriel picked up his leather jacket off of the floor. 

“What are you going to tell your brothers when they ask about your scars?” he asked as he put the jacket on.

Arianna’s face dropped. 

“Oh shit! My brothers! What time is it?!” she said loudly as she ran to the nightstand and grabbed her phone. 

She had three missed calls from Jay and a text message telling her to call. She quickly called him back. He picked up on the first ring.

“Hey, Ari. About time you called me back, “ he said.

“Yeah, sorry about that. We just woke up,” she said, looking over to Gabriel. He winked at her.

“Are you guys heading out soon?” Jay asked.

“Yeah. Are you guys already on the road?”

“Yeah, Sam and I finally got a real location on Dylan. The GPS signal hit off a tower near a motel in Mobile. Dylan still isn't answering any of our calls.”

“That's not good,” Arianna said worriedly.

“No, it isn't. When you get to Edmee see if she can pick anything up for us. I'll let you know when we make it into Mobile.”

“Ok, I’ll let you know when we make it to Edmee’s.”

“Sounds good. Love ya sis.”

“Love you too.”

Arianna hung up her phone and looked to Gabriel.

“We should probably get going,” he said.

She crossed the room to where he stood. 

“We should,” she said, sticking her hand in his pants pocket and pulling out her car keys. “But this time, I'm driving.”

* * *

Remy sat on the front porch of his grandmother’s old two story house in a rusty black metal patio chair, feet propped on the hand rail that wrapped around the porch. He sat near the five steps that led down to the walkway, all made of stone. The house was light blue with two large bay windows on either side of the front door. On the second story there were French doors on either side that lead out on to two separate balconies. Trees surrounded the house, hiding it from view, and a long gravel driveway connected it to the old deserted main road.

The setting sun was just at the right angle to shine into the porch onto Remy’s salted caramel skin and black hair. He had his toned arms crossed over his firm chest. His eyes were focused on where the gravel driveway connected to the main road.

When a very familiar dark blue Camaro pulled onto the gravel driveway, a smile came across his face and his diamond-blue eyes lit up. He rose from his chair and began to walk down the steps to the walkway.

“Mamé! They’re here!” he called loudly towards the house in a thick Cajun accent.

Remy waited until the car came to a stop at the end of the walkway before he started walking toward it. He didn’t get very far when he saw the driver’s side door fly open and Arianna spring out to run towards him. She flung her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her, picking her up and spinning around once as he hugged her.

“Cher! It’s so good to see you!” he said enthusiastically as he sat her down on her feet and released her.

“Right back at ya, Remy!” she said, matching his enthusiasm.

The sound of a car door closing turned their attention to Gabriel. He had gotten out of the car during their reunion. He made his way towards them.

“You must be Gabriel,” Remy said, and held out his hand in greeting.

“That's me,” Gabriel said, and clasped the other man’s hand in return.

Remy stood back and looked between Gabriel and Arianna. His enthusiastic expression changed to a skeptical one.

“What's wrong Remy?” Arianna asked.

Remy rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and reached into his front jeans pocket, pulling out an iron cuff carved with Enochian symbols. Arianna glared at him.

“So, no offense or anything, this is simply just a precautionary measure. But, would you mind wearing this, Gabriel?” Remy asked, holding the cuff in the Archangel’s direction. 

Arianna stepped between Remy and Gabriel, anger burning in her expression. 

“Remy LeBeau!!” an appalled Cajun female voice said from behind them on the front porch. 

The three quickly turned to look at the woman standing at the top of the steps. She had the same salted caramel skin and diamond-blue eyes as Remy, but her hair was white as snow. She had a look of disbelief on her worn and aged face.

“Where are your manners, boy?” she asked as she descended the stairs. “The Archangel is our guest, and he will be treated as such! Gabriel means us no harm.”

She made her way to stand beside Remy, looking up at him with an angry but expectant expression. Remy quickly stuck the cuff back into his pocket.

“Yes, Mamé!” Remy said, nodding his head. “I apologize, Gabriel.”

Satisfied with his apology, the older woman turned her attention to Arianna, and a huge, sweet smile came across her face. 

“My sweet girl! You are finally home!”

“Edmee! I've missed you so much!” Arianna said, hugging Edmee.

Edmee returned her hug, and then pulled back to look at her, her hands still holding onto the younger woman’s arms. She cocked her head and looked at Arianna with a questioning look. 

“There is something different about you, sweet girl.” She moved her eyes to Arianna’s forearms and then quickly back to her eyes. “We will talk later,” she said, tugging at the end of Arianna’s long sleeves.

Edmee dropped her embrace with Arianna and turned to Gabriel, grinning at him. She put her hands on her hips as she looked at him.

“Well aren't you an attractive angel! And would you look at those beautiful eyes! They look like sunshine through a glass of honey whiskey!”

Gabriel looked at Arianna as she blushed, and beamed at her as he realized  _ he _ was the whiskey Edmee had been talking about on the phone with her two days before. He stifled a laugh and looked back to Edmee, taking the old woman’s hand in his and slightly bowing his head. He placed a quick kiss on the top of her hand.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Edmee,” he said.

“And a gentleman too! I think you should keep this one, sweet girl! The honor is all mine though, Gabriel. It’s not often we get a visit from an Archangel.”

Gabriel slightly bowed his head to her again. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Arianna smile as she watched their exchange. 

Edmee hooked her arm with Gabriel’s. “Come now, we have much to discuss,” she said as she led Gabriel up the stone steps and into the house, the others following behind them.

They walked into a large living room where bookcases filled to capacity lined the walls of the room. A hallway lead off from the room, it’s walls in framed pictures. In the middle of the room three black leather couches were arranged around a large oak coffee table upon which there were books, paper pads, and pens. A black granite mortar and pestle, identical to the one Arianna had used in the bunker, was sitting on a cherry wood apothecary table behind the couch closest to the door. A number of small wooden boxes and glass jars were neatly set in one of its corners, and on the other side a blue crystal about the size of a large lemon had sigils carved into almost every inch.

Edmee released Gabriel’s arm as they entered the room. Gabriel’s eyes instantly went to the wall of pictures. He smiled as he looked at the memories that hung there. There were pictures of everyone in the little family that Arianna and her brothers had created with Edmee and Remy. Some of them all together, some separately, different pairings of each of them, and a few of different holidays that they had spent together.

Gabriel had understood that Edmee and Remy were very important to Arianna and her brothers. But, seeing the memories they had made over the past seven years made him see just how much love was shared in their little blended family. He smiled as he focused on a picture of Arianna sitting on the hood of her car laughing with her brothers and Remy. Gabriel felt a hand on his shoulder turned to see Edmee focused on the same picture.

“That, too, is my favorite one of all my babies happy and laughing together. That's a rarity in the life we lead, but we always manage to carve out a little happiness when we are all together,” she said proudly.

Edmee removed her hand from Gabriel and turned to Remy and Arianna. 

“Would the two of you go replace the warding around the property, please? We don't want any uninvited guests crashing the party,” she said.

“Yes, Mamé,” Remy replied.

Arianna looked at Edmee with a look of unease.

“Don't worry, sweet girl. Your angel is safe with me,” Edmee said reassuringly.

Arianna looked at Gabriel and he nodded. Remy took Arianna by the arm and began leading her towards the door.

“Come on, Cher. You know there is no use in arguing with her,” he said as they walked outside and closed the door behind them.

Once they were gone, Edmee turned back to Gabriel and beamed at him. He awkwardly returned her smile and was suddenly unsure about being alone with the old woman.

Edmee walked over to her apothecary table and picked up the blue crystal that laid on top of it. 

“I apologize for my grandson and the binding cuff. My Remy is very protective of the women in his life,” she said as she turned to face him again.

“It’s ok. I promise. I understand his reservations. Ari told me about how all of you came to be in each other’s lives,” Gabriel said.

“Yes, what Arianna went through left its mark on all of us. She has come a long way from that experience though, and Luke and Remy seem to forget that sometimes, especially Luke.”

“Yeah, I've seen that,” Gabriel said smiling. His apprehension had started to leave him.

Edmee laughed. “Yes, but in Luke’s defense, he has never been ok with anyone making eyes at his sister. The fact that your an angel just intensifies that.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened as he wondered just how much she knew.

Edmee laughed at his expression. 

“Yes, dear, I know. I sensed the archangel power on her the moment she stepped out of the car. But, it doesn't take a psychic to see the way you two look at each other.”

“You're not mad?” he asked cautiously.

“Oh of course not. The two of you seem to be two broken pieces that fit together perfectly. That bond means more than either of you realize just yet.”

“Do you think that's why I healed her scars without realizing it?”

“The two of you let down all of your walls for each other last night, and that created a pretty powerful connection. I believe that is why she was healed.”

Edmee crossed the room to stand in front of him. She held the crystal in both hands in front of her.

“Now, on to the issue of your depleted grace. After escaping Asmodeus, when did you realize it was low?”

“After I killed him and left the bunker. When I landed I felt it just plummet.”

“Hmm. That's what I suspected. I need you to hold this crystal. Hold out your hands.”

Gabriel did as he was told. Edmee said a few words in Latin and placed the crystal in his waiting hands. The sigils on the crystal began to glow and Gabriel felt it getting hotter in his hands as the light intensified. When the crystal began to burn his skin, he dropped it in surprise into Edmee’s waiting hands.

“Just as I thought,” Edmee said as she turned and walked over to place the crystal back on her table.

Gabriel saw that his hands were red where the crystal had touched him. 

“What the hell was that?” he asked.

Edmee turned back around to face him. 

“You are cursed, my dear. It appears Asmodeus was worried about you escaping, so he placed an angel grace depletion curse on you. Given Asmodeus was never the strongest or smartest of the Princes of Hell, I'm sure he didn't realize or care that the spell wasn't intended for Archangels. When you used your power to kill him, it activated the curse, but because you are an Archangel, it only weakens you. A normal angel would have completely lost their powers, making them all but human,” she explained.

“Why didn't I sense the curse?”

“Part of the curse is that its undetectable to the one it’s placed on.”

“Is there anyway to break it?”

“Every curse can be broken one way or another. We will figure out how, I can promise you that. But, you have to realize you deserve to get it back or everything we do will be in vain.”

Gabriel scoffed and lowered his head. “This may be harder than you think then.”

Gabriel looked up in surprise when he felt Edmme’s hand on the side of his face.

“Gabriel, I know the mistakes you’ve made, but I also know that you have seen the error of your ways. You are worth healing, you made a promise that you would give healing a chance, and it’s time you made good on that promise.”

* * *

Arianna sat on the ground as she watched Remy place the finishing touches of the last warding symbol on a tree outlining the property of his and Edmee’s house.

“What do you think, Cher?” he asked, standing back to admire his work.

“Looks good,” she said as he sat down beside her.

He looked over and saw the uneasy expression on her face. 

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

“What do you think they are talking about?” she asked.

Remy smiled. “I'm sure he's fine.”

Arianna laughed. “I don't think he realizes what he's in for with her.”

Remy leaned back, propping himself up on his elbows. 

“I don't think any of us truly realize what we are in for when it comes to her.”

Arianna mirrored his position on the ground and leaned her head back to look at the quickly darkening sky.

“Listen, Cher, I'm sorry about the binding cuff. I honestly didn't mean any disrespect,” he said, looking at her apologetically.

She turned her head to look at him. 

“It’s ok, Remy. I don't think it phased Gabe. By now he's used to someone being wary of him with Luke being how he is.”

Remy laughed. “I bet. Honestly, I thought Luke would have already had him in one. Last time I spoke with Jay, he said Luke was having issues with the two of you spending so much time together.”

“He tried, right after he brought up the shit with Raphael for the sixth time that day,” Arianna said, annoyed.

“What did you say that stopped him?”

“I threw a glass bowl in his general direction,” she said matter of factly.

Remy burst out laughing. “That's my girl!”

Arianna laughed. “Yeah, he backed off a little after that.”

Remy sat up and looked down at her. 

“You care a lot about him. Don't you?” he asked.

“I really do.”

“Does he know?”

“Pretty sure he figured it out last night,” she said with a sly smile.

Remy cocked his head and thought about what she had said. His eyes widened, and he gasped when realization hit him. 

“Cher! Did you have sex with the angel?!”

Arianna sat up laughing. “Yeah, we did.”

“Merde Cher! How was it?” he asked, smiling broadly.

“It was amazing. Best sex I've ever had, if I'm being completely honest,” she said, smiling at the memory.

“I would hope so, him being an angel and all.”

“True, but it was more than that, Remy. I can't explain it, it was just so much more than the physical act.”

Remy looked at her with a knowing smile. 

“Do you love him, Cher?” he asked.

Arianna looked at him, surprised at his question. 

“I...I don't know...maybe. I don't think that matters though.”

“Why not?” he asked. thoroughly confused.

“He's an angel, Remy! Not just an angel, but an Archangel! Do you really think they can fall in love with a human?”

“Maybe not an ordinary angel or Archangel. But, I think this one can. Matter of fact, I think he has.”

Arianna looked at him with disbelief in her eyes. 

“What makes you say that?”

“I may not know how the emotions of angels work exactly, but, I know how a man looks at the woman he loves. Cher, that's how he looks at you. Like you are the best, most amazing, and most beautiful thing that has ever came into his world.”

Arianna smiled. “That's not the only thing that happened last night.” she said. changing the subject. 

“Oh?” he asked.

Arianna took a deep breath and rolled up the sleeve of her shirt to show him her smooth skin. Remy’s mouth dropped open as he grabbed her arm, looking it over.

“Are they all gone?”

“Yeah, every single one of them.”

“How did he heal you? I thought he was low on grace?” Remy asked, not taking his eyes from her skin.

“I don't know. When we woke up this morning they were gone.”

Remy tore his eyes from her arm to look at her. 

“Strange. That explains a few things though,” he said with a laugh as he let go.

Arianna looked at him with confusion. “What does it explain?”

“Mamé woke up this morning, insistent on me taking her to a dress shop. So, I took her. She bought this purple sundress and said it was for you. I tried to tell her there was no way you would ever wear it, but she told me to be quiet, that she knew what she was doing.” 

Arianna laughed. “Figures she would already know!”

Remy laughed as he stood up. “I don't think there is anything that woman doesn't know, especially when it concerns you, Jay, Luke, or me.”

Arianna got to her feet and dusted herself off. “I will agree with you there.”

Remy put his arm around Arianna’s shoulders. “Come on, Cher. Let’s go see if we are allowed back in the house yet.

* * *

Sam and Jay were both sitting at a small table using laptops in a cheap motel room. Sam was using a GPS signal to try and get a lock on Dylan’s phone again. When they had arrived in Mobile, they lost the signal they had found the previous day. Jay had pulled up a list of every motel in Mobile and its surrounding areas, and he was jotting down the addresses of the ones where he thought Dylan may have stayed recently.  

Jay laid down the pencil he was writing with and sighed. “There are seventy-seven hotels and motels in Mobile, and thirty of them are in the right price range and inconspicuous enough for Dylan.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “If we don't find that GPS signal again, this is going to take a lot of time.”

Sam peered at Jay from over his laptop. “I know and it looks like he's just disappeared. I'm really starting to get a bad feeling about this.”

“Me too.”

“Do you think we should call Ari? We might need her help. It’s looking like this is turning into a case,” Sam asked.

Jay thought about it for a moment. “No, Ari is where she needs to be, and I don't want to have to diffuse any arguments between my brother and sister.”

“Yeah, they seem to not agree on the whole Gabriel issue.”

Jay laughed. “That's putting it mildly.”

“Do you think there is something between them?”

Jay thought about the secret he and his sister shared about Akashic. 

“More than either of them realize,” he said.

The sound of a key in the door caught their attention. They looked over in time to see Luke coming through the door holding a paper bag with a logo from a local burger joint along with a six pack of beer. He made his way across the room and placed everything on the table.

“I showed the guys at the burger joint Dylan’s picture and nobody’s seen him before. I don't understand how he could just drop off the face of the earth like this. This isn't good guys. Something’s up!” he said as he sat down in an empty chair.

“Yeah, Jay and I were just saying that,” Sam said.

“I've got an appointment with the County Sheriff tomorrow morning. I'm hoping he might have heard something. It’s a shot in the dark, but that seems to be all we have right now,” Jay said as he passed out the food in the paper bag.

“While you're doing that, Sam and I will start marking off this list,” Luke said, picking up the list of hotels Jay had started.

“Sounds like a plan.” Sam grabbed a beer. “I think we should ride around to a few of the places closest to us tonight though. We might get lucky.”

“I hate relying on luck, because that’s usually when you can't find any,” Jay said.

* * *

Arianna and Remy entered the living room to find Edmee standing in front of one of the bookcases  and Gabriel standing beside her with a stack of five books in his arms. As Edmee added another book to the stack, she turned and smiled at them.

“Is the warding secure?” She asked.

“Yes, Mamé,” Remy replied.

“Good. Thank you both,” Edmee said. “Gabriel, would you mind taking those books to the kitchen for me, please? I will be needing them later.”

“Uh, where is that at?” Gabriel asked.

“Oh yes! Down the hallway by the pictures, when you get to the staircase turn left, you’ll run right into it,” Edmee instructed.

Gabriel nodded and walked away. Remy and Arianna looked at each other, smiling. 

“What are you two smiling about?” Edmee asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Remy laughed and made his way to sit on one of the leather couches. Arianna followed and sat on the couch across from him.

“You seem to have taking a liking to the angel, Mamé. You are already bossing him around like you do the rest of us,” Remy said, smiling at his grandmother.

Edmee began to laugh. “I'm not bossy, I just know what I need to happen and when I need it to happen. But, yes, I like him.” 

Edmee walked behind the couch Arianna sat on to stand behind her, placing her hands on the young woman’s shoulders. 

“He's brought a smile to Arianna's face I have never seen before.” She leaned down and kissed her on the top of the head. “As long as she wants him around, he will be welcome in our home.”

Arianna craned her neck to look up at Edmee and placed her hands over hers. “Thank you.” 

“That reminds me!” Edmee said, pulling her hands from Arianna’s and clasping them together under her chin. “I have a gift for you! It’s upstairs on your bed. Go try it on for me!” she instructed as she took one of Arianna’s arms and lead her off the couch toward the hallway.

Arianna looked back at Remy and he winked at her before she disappeared around the corner. Edmee crossed the room and sat down next go her grandson.

“You know, you could have told me why you bought the dress,” Remy said, leaning back on the couch.

“Now where is the fun in that my dear? I'm sure you and Arianna had an interesting conversation about the whole thing.” 

“Was he the one that healed her?” he asked, trying to read his grandmother's neutral expression.

“He helped,” she said. “Now hush, Gabriel is coming back.”

As if on cue, Gabriel rounded the corner from the hallway.

“Where’s Ari?” he asked, looking around the room.

“I sent her upstairs to get a gift I got for her earlier,” Edmee told him. “Now come sit.” She motioned to where Arianna had been sitting minutes earlier.

Gabriel made his way across the room and sat where Edmee had indicated.

“Have you heard anything from Jay or Sam?” She asked as soon as he was seated.

“Jay called Ari right before we got here and told her they had checked into a motel in Mobile. He said they lost the signal they had found on Dylan’s phone, so they were back to step one in their search. He wanted you to see if you could pick anything up on him,” Gabriel explained.

Edmee tapped a finger to her lips in contemplation. “I don't sense anything at the moment. I will keep my third eye open for him though.”

“Do they think something bad has happened to him?” Remy asked.

“Jay was trying to stay calm, but, you could hear in his voice that he was worried. Ari asked if they needed us to meet them there. Jay insisted they were fine though,” Gabriel said.

“Speaking of Arianna, where is that girl? Gabriel, would you go check on her? Her room is at the top of the stairs you passed on the way to the kitchen, the first door on the left,” Edmee said with a smile. 

“Sure,” Gabriel said as he got to his feet.

Remy and Edmee watched him as he crossed the room and rounded the corner, headed towards the stairs.

“You are not subtle, Mamé,” Remy said when he was sure Gabriel was out of earshot.

“We don't have time to be subtle, Remy. The stronger their bond, the easier the next conversation we need to have will be for them.” Edmme said.

* * *

Arianna’s room was very much a reflection of who she was. It was a medium-sized room with a set of French doors on the far wall which were opposite the door that led into the hallway. To the left of the French doors a large bookcase was set against the wall, its shelves lined with books on angels, demons, monsters, gods, and spells. Next to the bookcase a chair and desk had a laptop, a glass jar filled with pens and pencils, and a notebook halfway filled with notes on different monsters. Above the desk she had affixed a map on the mall with colorful pins placed in various spots. A simple full-length mirror was also mounted on the wall to the left of the desk.

To the right, a large gun case with glass doors contained an assortment of guns, different knives of various types and lengths, and ammunition that was neatly arranged along the bottom. Besides normal shotgun shells and bullets, there were also silver bullets and shotgun shells packed with rock salt.

Her queen size bed sat beside the gun case, its head against the wall, adorned with a royal purple blanket with matching pillow cases. A small black nightstand had a digital clock and a picture of herself, her brothers, and her parents that she had lost long ago.

Further down from the nightstand, there were double closet doors with various pictures upon its surface. The pictures were of her with one or both of her brothers, with Remy or Edmee, and group shots of all six of them.

Arianna stood in her bare feet, looking at herself in the full length mirror in the dress that Edmee had bought for her. It was an amethyst purple sundress that had a very low-cut halter top with thin pieces of fabric that went up from her arms and tied around the back of her neck. The top of the dress framed her breasts perfectly, pushing them up just enough to accentuate her cleavage. Under her breasts there was a line of small dark purple gems with fabric that flowed freely down to mid-thigh which circled round to meet at the zipper in the back. 

She ran her hand down her arm where her scars had been not even twenty four hours earlier. It was still hard for her to believe they were gone. She had learned how to live with them, and hide them, from the world for the past seven years. Suddenly, she didn't have to anymore.

A knock at her door pulled her out of her thoughts. 

“Come in,” she said, turning towards the door.

The door opened and Gabriel walked in. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open when he saw her. 

“Wow!” he said, almost breathless as he pushed her door closed.

“Is that a good wow or a bad wow?” she asked, turning back to the mirror

“God, you're beautiful!” he said, not able to take his eyes off her.

Arianna bit her lip and ran her hand down her arm again. 

“You really like it? I feel kind of out of place,” she admitted.

In the mirror’s reflection, she could see Gabriel make his way over to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back flush against his chest. She put her hands over his as he lowered his mouth to her neck so he could kiss the sensitive skin there. She tilted her head to one side in order to grant him better access. 

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you,” Gabriel said as he placed soft kisses up and down the length of her neck and shoulder.

Arianna reached up to run her fingers through his hair. 

“And how is that?” she asked, her breath catching as he nipped at her ear. 

She could already feel herself getting wet.

“Beautiful. Strong. Smart. Kind. Loyal. Incredibly sexy,” he answered, accentuating each word with a kiss down her neck.

She smiled. “So you like the dress?” she asked with a giggle.

She felt him smile on her neck right before he firmly bit down where her neck turned into her shoulder, pulling a small moan from her as he did.

“Very much,” he said.

Arianna watched in the mirror as he reached one of his hands down and started to pull the front of her dress up her body until she could see her black thong. Her breathing increased as he moved his other hand down to trace the waistband of her thong once before he stuck his hand inside. She moaned his name when his fingers came in contact with her clit, running circles around it.

Arianna pulled his hands from her thong and turned in his arms. When her chest was against his she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a searing kiss on his lips. His arms tightened around her as he deepened the kiss and she fisted her hands in his hair before she broke the kiss and placed her forehead to his.

“I need you, now!” she said, still out of breath from their kiss.

Without hesitation his hands fell to the back of her thighs and hoisted her up so he could wrap her legs around his waist. He caught her lips with his as he carried her to the edge of the desk. She dropped her legs from around his waist and helped him to take her thong off. Before it had even hit the ground she wrapped her legs around his waist again and pulled him to her.

She pulled him into another kiss and trailed her hands down his chest and stomach to the button of his pants. She made quick work of unbuttoning them and pulled down the zipper. She pulled his pants and boxers down just enough for his already rock hard and throbbing member to spring free. She wrapped her hand around his cock, pumping her hand up and down. Gabriel broke the kiss, his head falling into her neck as he moaned her name and gripped her hips hard.

Arianna pulled his body closer to her with her legs as she guided him into her entrance. He took control and thrust himself inside her. They both cried out when he was fully inside of her.

He began a slow steady pace at first, letting her stretching walls once again get used to his size. She was already groaning and moaning his name and he tightened his grip on her hips as he began to pump into her faster. She pressed her mouth to his and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

Her lips parted and his tongue was immediately in her mouth. Their tongues twisted together as his thrusts became faster and harder. She could feel the pressure and heat building between her legs as her walls tightened around him. He pistoned into her, pushing them both closer to their release.

Gabriel broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. Her eyes were closed as she whimpered and moaned every time he pounded into her. He could feel how close she was to the edge.

“Look at me,” he said in between thrusts.

She opened her blue eyes and was met with his whiskey ones staring into hers. The sudden shock of connection intensified their ecstasy, sending them both spiraling over the edge as their orgasms crashed into them at the same time. Gabriel kept his pace as they rode out their releases together, only gradually slowing down as they both came down from their high, until they were both still.

Arianna dropped her head to rest on his shoulder. She felt his hands leave her hips and his arms wrapped around her as he slowly pulled himself out of her. They stayed in each others arms as their breathing returned to normal.

Arianna felt it before she saw it: a sudden brush of something warm and soft against her arms. She raised her head to see golden, glittering, transparent outlines of his wings. She gasped in shock as her brain registered what her eyes were looking at as their transparency began to solidify. They were breathtakingly beautiful and large, big enough to fill the length of the room if he were to stretch them out to their full width. Though they were still folded against his body, she marveled at their size. Their length swept down his back barely brushing the ground at their ends and their golden color had more depth and facets of different hues than her brain could comprehend. She felt the long, soft feathers brush against her arms. 

 

Hearing her gasp, Gabriel pulled away from her enough to see the look of awe on her face. He followed her gaze over his shoulder to his back, then smiled, realizing what she was seeing.

“You can see them can't you?” he asked.

She turned her head to look at him, shock written all over her face.    
  


”Gabriel…,” Arianna started, her voice trailing off. She swallowed as she saw his wings shift slightly in her peripheral vision. “Gabriel, they’re beautiful! But...why?”

“You already know the answer to that. You told me yourself,” he said, staring into her eyes. ”The way I feel for you, I didn't even think it was possible for me. I was ready for the Empty, and then you walked into my life and made me feel like I was worth redemption. I love you, Arianna.”

Tears filled her eyes at his confession. She pressed her forehead to his. “I love you, too, Gabriel,” she said.

He smiled and pressed a loving kiss to her lips.

* * *

 

Sam pulled the impala into the parking lot of the tenth motel on Jay’s checklist. Though no one had voiced it, their suspicions had increased as each location revealed no trace of their friend. They scanned the parking lot for Dylan’s black pickup truck as Sam slowly navigated through the rows of cars. 

 

When they turned the corner towards the back, Jay spotted the truck at the very end. “Sam! Down there!” he said and pointed. 

 

Sam pulled the Impala in a parking space beside Dylan’s truck and shut off the engine. They all looked at each other silently agreeing to go in ready to fight and pulled their guns out as they exited the car. They quietly closed their doors and moved together towards the motel room, Sam leading the way.

Sam reached down to test the door knob and discovered that it was unlocked.. They all took a collective deep breath as Sam pushed the door open. 

The light in the room had been left on, revealing the disheveled state of the room.The desk chair was broken into pieces close to the front door and Dylan’s gun was lying next to the remains of the chair. One of the mattresses from the beds had been flipped off its bedsprings and was lying between the beds, propped on one side against the other bed. The other bed’s blankets were disheveled and the pillows laid on the floor against the wall. Dylan’s smashed cell phone and an angel blade were in front of the bed with the bare boxsprings, the angel blade covered in blood.  

 

Sam made his way to the bathroom and pushed the door open. After finding it empty, he turned to see Jay holding the bloodied angel blade in his hand.

“I think it may be time to call Cas, Sam,” Jay said, staring at the blood that covered the weapon in his hands.

 

* * *

Remy sat with Edmee on their front porch. Edmee had an old spell book in her lap reading to herself while Remy craned his head to look at the stars in the night sky. He let out a sigh as he glanced at the watch on his wrist.

“Do you want me to go get them? They’ve been up there for a while,” he asked impatiently.

“They will be out here soon,” Edmee said, not looking up from her spell book.

Remy let out a frustrated sigh as he stood up and leaned against the railing of the porch, facing the front door. 

“Are you sure about all this, Mamé?” he asked.

Edmee closed her book and looked at her grandson. 

“Yes, I have no doubts about the outcome of this night.”

The sound of the front door opening stopped their conversation. Their attention turned to the door to see Arianna and Gabriel walk outside hand in hand. Arianna still wore the dress Edmee had bought for her and Edmee beamed at the two of them as she watched them come through the door. 

“Merde, Cher! You look amazing!” Remy exclaimed, walking toward her to get a better look in the light from the dim porch light.

“Yes, she does!” Edmee agreed.

When Remy was standing in front of Arianna and Gabriel, he noticed their intertwined hands. 

“So, is this a thing now?” he asked, gesturing toward their hands.

Arianna and Gabriel looked at each other and smiled. 

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Arianna said.

Remy started laughing. “You know Luke is going to have a coronary when he finds out, right? Can I be there when you tell him?”

Arianna looked at Remy and lightly smacked his chest. 

“Luke will just have to get over it!” she said.

“Alright, that's enough. It’s time we get down to business,” Edmee said as she stood up.

She gestured for the four of them to head into the house. They followed her instructions, with Edmee close behind them.

They all filed into the living room and made their way to the couches. They all sat on separate couches, Gabriel and Arianna choosing to sit together. Edmee placed her spell book on the coffee table and looked up into the others’ waiting faces.

“I guess first things first. I'm guessing you and Gabriel didn't have time to discuss what he and I talked about earlier, Arianna?” Edmee started.

“Um. No, we didn't,” Arianna replied.

“The reason his grace isn't charging is because he's cursed. There are many names for the curse in different languages, but basically it's a curse that depletes an angel’s grace. Being that the curse was intended for a regular angel and not an Archangel, it only weakens him,” Edmee explained.

Arianna gently squeezed Gabriel’s hand as she looked over to him. 

“How do we break the curse?” she asked.

“There are a few things we could try, but The Guardian would be able to break the curse for sure,” Edmee said.

All eyes were on the old woman now.

“We don't know who she is or how to find her though,” Gabriel said 

“All of  _ you  _ don't know. I, on the other hand, do,” Edmee said, looking into Arianna’s eyes. “May I ask you a question before I explain, Gabriel?” she asked, turning her eyes to him.

“Of course,” he said.

“When you faked your death, you stayed on Earth. Why take that risk? You could have gone anywhere in the universe. You knew what would happen if Sam and Dean failed.” Edmee’s expression was neutral.

Gabriel sighed. “If I'm being completely honest, I did have faith that Sam and Dean would pull off the impossible, and they did. But, there was another reason: If Sam and Dean had failed, I knew the Guardian would have come into her powers. This poor girl would have gone from a normal, everyday life to possibly taking on an Archangel. I wanted to help her, but mostly I didn't want my brothers getting their hands on her. They would have killed her without hesitation.”

Edmee nodded. “Arianna has told me what you told her and the others about the Guardian, and most of what you know is true. She was to come into her powers after the fight between Michael and Lucifer, to be found by you, and to have the powers of an Archangel. And yes, she would be able to pull an angel from their vessel once she fully came into her power. But, while the two of you are connected, her powers are all her own and they will come to her instinctively. There is also a part of the story that your father left out, I'm guessing for safety reasons. He also made a keeper for the Guardian. The keeper would only realize who they were in the event something happened to you.”

“So, will the keeper know who the Guardian is?” Arianna asked.

“Oh yes, I'm positive that they set out to find her the moment they realized who they were. I'm also positive they are aware of the current state of our world with the wrong Michael in it,” Edmee replied.

“Why haven't they stepped up and done something then?” Arianna asked.

“There are things you need to understand, my sweet girl. Even if the keeper found the Guardian, they couldn't tell her who she was. The only thing they could do is give the Guardian the information she would need to figure it out for herself, and only when she started to show signs of her powers. The protection of the Guardian has always been top priority,“ Edmee replied.

“What signs?” Gabriel asked.

“What you need to know about the Guardian is that she would show signs of who she was throughout her life. She would probably be drawn to becoming a hunter because fighting and absorbing knowledge about things that go bump in the night would come second nature to her. There would have been times in her life where situations or wounds would have taken a regular person's life. Also, Enochian would come as easy to her as her native tongue. But, until she showed signs of her actual powers, she wouldn't know who she was. With the rift being opened to a world where the apocalypse happened, her powers, I imagine, would start to show. It should have just been healing powers at first, healing herself, others, angels. She wouldn't even realize she was doing it. Creatures with high power would start to be able to sense the Guardian’s powers if they were near her. The Winchesters stopping the Apocalypse in our world and Gabriel dying in the ‘wrong’ world sent out shockwaves that changed the timeline. The Guardian is already using a power that should not come to her until she is fully into her power, but I believe her connection with Gabriel has caused it to surface early,” Edmee said. 

Edmee watched Arianna closely as the wheels turned in the young woman’s mind. Arianna was connecting the dots in her head, growing pale as her brain moved closer to what Edmee already knew. 

“What did she do?” Arianna asked in a strangled voice.

Gabriel looked to Arianna and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Are you ok, Ari?”

She shook her head no. “Edmee, what did she do?” she asked again. Tears had started to sting her eyes and her voice cracked.

Edmee took a deep breath and exhaled before she answered. “The Guardian can retrieve an angel from the Empty. She would have to take them to Akashic in order to heal them, and then from there she would send them back to our world. I know that she is the one that brought you back Gabriel, and I'm pretty sure the reason why you don't remember is because you were pulled from another world’s Empty.”

All the color had drained from Arianna’s face, the events of the past two weeks playing on repeat in her head. She could feel her chest tighten, making it hard for her to breathe. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she abruptly stood from the couch, breaking Gabriel’s hold on her.

“I…I need some air!” she choked out before she ran to the front door and flung it open.

She ran out the door and down the steps to her car. She leaned over the hood, supporting herself with her hands as she stared down, unblinking. Her mind was spinning with the information Edmee had just told her.  

She felt a hand on the small of her back and looked up to see Gabriel’s confused and worried expression.

“What's going on, Ari?” he asked.

She stood up and jerked away from him. “Gabe, I...there's a few things I haven't told you,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around herself.

“What didn't you tell me?” he asked.

Arianna started pacing in front of her car and talked quickly. 

“You gotta realize, Gabe, I honestly thought it was a dream. Or maybe I just tried to convince myself it was. I don't know. But, then you walked into the war room that first day and looked at me the way you did and you even asked if we had met before! My fucking brain exploded! I didn't know what to fucking do! I was still dead set it was a dream. Jay agreed that we should keep it just between me and him. Then the Gahe asked me why I risked my life with him when I could have just healed you myself. He said I had done it before. Why couldn't I do it again? I thought he was crazy! After that Jay was convinced I should tell you, but how the fuck do you tell someone ‘Hey guess what? I dreamed about you before we met. but now I'm not so sure it was a dream.’? Then my scars just up and fucking vanished after you and I slept together, and the easy answer was you did it. But, it didn't feel the same as when you healed me that night everything went to hell and you almost fucking died on me! Then there is everything that's happened between us! I instantly felt a connection with you, and not just when I met you that day at the bunker, I felt it in the dream too! Everything between us is just so easy, we just fit! I had thought it was random, I had thought it was just two fucked up individuals somehow fitting together and making each other not so fucked up. But now I'm not so sure!” Tears were streaming down her face by the time she was finished.

“Ari, what dream are you talking about?” Gabriel asked, trying to absorb everything she had just blurted out.

Arianna stopped pacing and looked into his eyes. 

“The night before we met, I had what I thought was a dream where I was in Akashic. There was this guy lying on the ground with a fucking hole in his chest from a stab wound! When I touched the wound it healed and he was suddenly up and talking to me. But, then everything started shaking and this wall started crumbling down on top of us. He was trying to protect me. There was this huge piece of stone that fell right beside us and I screamed and this purple light started glowing between us and then I woke up. Gabe, the guy in the dream was you right down to the same fucking outfit! Gabriel, I think I'm the one that brought you back!”

Gabriel’s mouth fell open as his mind connected the same dots she had moments earlier. “But, then that means, you're..” 

“The Guardian,” Edmee’s voice said from behind them.

They both turned to stare into the old woman’s face. 

“How long have you known?!” Arianna demand, through her tears.

“I'm guessing from the moment Gabriel fell captive to Asmodeus. You had so much natural warding around you, and with you constantly moving around the country I couldn't get a lock on you. I tried finding Gabriel, but there was no trace of him anywhere because Asmodeus hid him so well. I was finally able to get a sense of where you were when Raphael took you. It took me almost two months to get a clear vision of you and when I saw what was happening to you, Remy and I did everything we could to find Luke and Jay,” Edmee said.

Arianna sunk to the ground, sitting on her knees. 

“This whole time? You both have known this whole time?!” she cried, staring at the ground.

Edmee walked over to Arianna and knelt down in front of her, placing her hands on the woman’s shoulders. 

“No, my sweet girl, Remy only found out who you were within the last couple days. So many times I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't.”

Arianna shook her head. “I don't understand! How can it be me?! I'm just a hunter!”

Edmee placed her hands on either side of Arianna's face and tilted her head so she was looking in her eyes. 

“My sweet girl, you have never been  _ just a hunter _ . From the very beginning you were special. At sixteen years old you took on a werewolf and won! You took that horrendous experience that would have sent most people to the crazy house and turned it into something good. Everything about this life has always come so naturally to you. You and your brothers have helped so many people. My sweet girl, you survived Raphael and, truth be told, with the shape you were in when you were brought to me you shouldn't have. Then again, you took another horrendous experience and turned it into something positive. You learned everything you could to not only ensure that it would never happen to you again, but to stop it from happening to someone else. Now here you are, ready to do whatever it takes to help someone you met two weeks ago get his brother back and hopefully save the world while you are at it. Not to mention what you have done for Gabriel. My sweet girl, your whole life has led you to this moment.”

Arianna wrapped her arms around Edmee and hugged her tightly. The old woman pulled Arianna to her feet and broke the hug.

Arianna walked over to Gabriel, who had been watching them both in a state of silent shock, but his expression softened when she came to stand in front of him. 

“Gabe, I'm sorry I didn't tell you from the beginning,” Arianna said, looking at the ground.

She was surprised when she felt him pull her into his arms. 

“It’s ok, I can understand why you didn't. Now I know and now we will figure everything out together,” he said.

Arianna wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. Whatever the reason for their connection to each other, she was thankful for it. Being in his arms instantly calmed her and stopped her tears. His willingness to stand by her side gave her strength.

“There is still more you need to know,” Edmee said, now standing beside them.

They turned to look at her but stayed locked in their embrace.

“The bond the two of you share will make you both stronger. I always knew that if the two of you ever met that you would be close simply because you were meant to fight along side of each other. But, the love between the two of you wasn't something I didn't see coming, at least not until recently. You need to know that you both created that of your own free will, not because some divine destiny threw you together. Remember that, and never let anyone try to convince you otherwise,” Edmee explained. 

Arianna felt Gabriel tighten his arms around her. 

“How do we awaken the rest of her powers?” he asked.

“That is the tricky part. Her powers were supposed to come to her when  _ our  _ Michael and  _ our  _ Lucifer fought. But, that didn't happen. So, the timeline for how this was supposed to play out has been completely thrown out the window. She shouldn't have had the power to bring you back, Gabriel. But, she did.”

“So, what can we do?” Arianna asked.

“Your powers may be those of an Archangel, but they are very much tied to your emotions. You will have to find the power within yourself and bring it out. I have caught a glimpse of you with your powers, and I know you will find a way to get there,” Edmee said.

“Cher! Jay needs to speak with you! Now!” Remy’s voice came from behind them.

They turned to see him running through the front door and down the steps to where they all stood, his cell phone in hand. They could see that the screen was lit up with Jay’s name for an active call. Arianna and Gabriel broke their embrace as Remy handed the phone to Arianna.

“He's on speaker, Cher,” Remy said.

“Jay, what's up?” Arianna asked into the phone.

“We found Dylan’s motel room. It’s bad, Ari,.” Jay said.

“How bad we talking?” she asked.

“The room was a complete wreck when we got there. From just the way it looked, we all think it was staged and someone wanted us to find his room like that. But, that's not the part that has us worried.”

“What has you worried?”

Arianna heard Jay shifting on his end and she knew he was pacing. He was scared, and she could feel it.

“Ari, we found an angel blade in his room covered in blood. Cas is here now and he's confirmed that it’s Dylan's. We need you and Gabe here, sis.”

Arianna looked over to Gabriel and he nodded at her. 

“We’re on our way, Jay. Send me the address,” she said.

“I'm coming too, no way I'm letting you guys do this without me,.” Remy said.

“Guys wait, we don't have time for you to drive here. I'm going to send Cas to come get you and just fly you here,” Jay said.

“Give me ten minutes to break the warding so he can get in,” Remy said, and took off into the dark.

“We will see you soon, Jay,” Arianna said, and hung up the phone.

Arianna handed Remy’s phone to Edmee and turned to look at Gabriel. He took her face in his hands and kissed her on the lips. 

“Go get changed. I’ll get what we need from your car,” he said.

She quickly nodded, turned, and ran back into the house. Gabriel started walking towards the trunk of Arianna's car as Edmee caught him by the arm. 

“There is one more thing you need to know, Gabriel. I have placed my own warding on Remy, Arianna, Luke, and Jay. Warding so strong that unless an angel physically has their eyes on them, they won't be able to see them unless they want the angel to see them,” she said, looking into his eyes.

* * *

 

Arianna opened her gun case, shoving spare ammunition into the pockets of her jeans before grabbing her Beretta 92FS with amethyst pistol grips and placing it in the back waistband. She closed the case and quickly crossed the room to leave, but the pictures taped to her closet doors caught her attention and she paused.

Her entire life had just been turned upside down with the knowledge of who she really was, but the memories she saw before her were comforting. She traced her fingers along the photographs as she looked at them. Each picture in her room spanned from her childhood to the present.

Her fingers landed on one of her and Luke. It was from back when they had just started hunting. They hadn't even noticed the picture being taken because they were both intently focused on the engine of her car. For the longest time, Luke fixed their cars if anything happened to them, but on this occasion Arianna had asked him to teach her. She remembered how his face had lit up when she asked, and what was really a fifteen minute fix had turned into him teaching her as much as he could in a single night. She smiled at how something so simple had somehow brought them so much closer.

From there she came to a picture of her and Jay. They were both sitting at his laptop, smiling at the camera. She was just sixteen when they had started hunting, and because of that she had dropped out of high school. Jay had been persistent that she get at least her GED, so in between hunts he would sit with her and study. When she finally got it, the look of pride on both of her brothers’ faces was one she would never forget.

Further on there was a picture of all the three siblings. She stood in the middle while both brothers had an arm around her, and they were all smiling. The picture was taken at a bar after doing away with a monster, but that wasn't the important part. On the table in front of them there was a small chocolate cake that simply had “Happy B-Day” written on it. It had been Luke and Jay’s birthday, and she had made sure that they celebrated. 

Next was another of all the three of them standing on Edmme’s front porch. Jay was hugging Arianna while Luke hugged them both from behind Jay. They were looking at the camera laughing. They had just returned from a hunt and had come home to a home cooked meal with plenty of beer to go around. 

There was a picture of her and Remy beaming at the camera as they stood in front of Luke’s car. He had his arms wrapped around her shoulders and she was hugging him with both her arms wrapped around his waist. It had been taken after the first hunt she and her brothers had gone on since she had been rescued from Raphael. She remembered him running up to her and spinning her around in a hug, and he had whispered that he knew she would find her rhythm once more. He was the only person she had confided in about her nervousness, and he had been an unending source of support.

Beside it was a picture of Arianna and Edmee standing in the kitchen. Edmee had been teaching Arianna one of her old family recipes, and when Jay had come in with a camera saying he had to have documented proof of his sister learning a recipe instead of some angel or monster lore, Edmee had pulled her into a tight hug. Edmee had always been insistent on giving Arianna, Luke, Jay, and Remy a sense of home and a normal life when they were all together and not fighting some nightmare. Edmee’s love for all four of them was something that none of them ever doubted.

The last picture Arianna ran her fingers across was of all five of them. Arianna, Luke, Jay, and Remy were squished together on one of the couches in the living room, wearing ridiculous Santa hats that Edmee had made them wear for the picture. Edmee herself stood behind them smiling proudly. It was the first Christmas Arianna and her brothers had spent with Remy and Edmee and it had been the first real Christmas Arianna and her brothers had had in close to a decade. She remembered how happy they had all been that day, and how they had all seemed to forget how ugly the world was outside. She thought about the look of pure love and pride on Edmee’s face anytime someone would see the picture, and she would tell whoever had seen the picture that it was her whole world in one photo.

Tears were streaming down Arianna’s face as the flood of memories hit her. These were the memories that always pulled her through, no matter what she had going on in her life.

“Ari, are you ok?” Gabriel asked softly.

Arianna turned her head quickly to see Gabriel and Edmee standing beside her. She hadn't heard them come in. She wiped her tears away and smiled at both of them.

“I'm getting to ok,” she said truthfully. She knew there was no use lying to either of them. “I'm just processing everything.”

Edmee pulled Arianna into a tight hug. “Hold on to these memories, sweet girl, and the new ones you have made with Gabriel and the others.”

“I'm going to make you proud, Edmee,” Arianna said, returning Edmee’s hug.

“Oh, my sweet girl, you make me proud every single day,” Edmee said as she broke the hug. She ran her palms down Arianna’s arms until she was holding her hands.

Letting go of one of Arianna’s hands, she reached over and took one of Gabriel’s. She led the two closer together and intertwined their hands together.

“Remember your bond with each other,” she said as she stepped back from them. “Now come, Castiel is here and you all need to get going. I feel it's going to be a long night for all of us. You might want to fill the others in on what we've discussed tonight before you storm the castle though.”

* * *

Arianna and Gabriel stood in the middle of the motel room Luke, Jay, and Sam had rented out. The couple were facing the others, who were sitting on the beds in the room, the brothers at the foot of one, Sam and Castiel the other. The four stared at the ground with shocked expressions on their faces. Remy, who had decided to sit at the small table in the room, looked on silently.

Upon arriving in the motel room, Arianna had told her brothers, Sam, and Castiel that they needed to have an important conversation. As they had taken their seats, she and Gabriel had both launched into the explanation of what they had learned from Edmee. They had started with Gabriel being cursed and then moved onto finding out Arianna was the Guardian and about what she could do as the Guardian now and when she fully came into her powers. She had finished by rolling up the sleeve of her shirt to show her brothers that her scars had disappeared. She had, of course, left out the more intimate parts of the story. Gabriel and Arianna had also left out most of the story pertaining to the bond they shared, agreeing silently somehow to work that in later once her brothers had processed everything and Dylan was rescued. Instead, they had simply told them that their bond would help them fight alongside each other.

Since they had finished speaking, Arianna and Gabriel had stood in silence in front of the group, waiting for their reaction. So far their shocked and silent reaction was beginning to worry Arianna. She glanced over to Remy sitting at the table. Taking the hint, he stood up and joined Gabriel and Arianna in front of the others.

“Someone say something,” Remy said, breaking the deafening silence.

Luke looked up at him as he stood from the bed. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He looked down to his brother, who had lifted his head to look at him, for help. 

Jay stood up and walked over to his sister and Luke followed. He took her arm and ran his hand over it and looked up at her, but he couldn't find his words either.

Sam and Castiel got to their feet and joined them in the center of the room. 

“Well, this is a good thing, right? We've been trying to find the Guardian, and now we have. It being Ari saves us a lot of time in explaining our situation,” Sam said

Arianna hadn’t taken her eyes off of her brothers, and their silence was terrifying her. 

“Luke, Jay, please say something,” she begged, fighting back the lump in her throat that threatened tears.

Jay finally smiled at his sister as he dropped her arm. 

“I guess this explains why you’ve always been so good at hunting,” he said.

“And why you were so damn determined to help Sam, Castiel, and Gabriel,” Luke said.

“We still stand beside you, Ari,” Jay said, answering her unspoken question.

“Yeah, sis, that will never change,” Luke said, finally smiling.

Arianna threw both of her arms around her brothers’ necks, hugging them tightly. They both wrapped an arm her.

 

Sam and Castiel shared a look and silently nodded at each other. They both agreed on what Sam would say next.

 

“Cas and I are with you too, Ari, you and Gabe both. We are in this together, and that's not going to change.” 

Arianna pulled away from her brothers and hugged Sam and Cas the way she had done her brothers. Sam quickly wrapped an around her back and Cas, a little taken aback from the sudden contact, hesitated before he wrapped an arm around her too. There were tears in her eyes when she pulled away. She suddenly didn't know why she had been so worried about it, since being the Guardian was exactly what they needed.

“So, what's our next step guys?” Remy asked.

Everyone looked at each other silently for a moment, having had thoughts about what the angel blade had meant.

“Judging from everyone’s faces, I'm guessing we are all in agreement that this is more than likely the work of this other world’s Michael?” Remy asked. “What's the plan?”

“If it is Michael, we don't know exactly why he took Dylan, and we don't even know exactly what he knows. Ari not being born in his world is a possibility, but it’s not definite. For all we know, he's been looking for the Guardian too, which would explain why we haven't found anything on his whereabouts the past two weeks,” Luke said.

“If he’s done any amount of looking into the happenings of this world, he knows Sam and Dean are more than likely in the middle of any world ending crisis,” Gabriel said.

“Do you think he knows you are even alive?” Sam asked Gabriel.

“I'm guessing the warding of the bunker masked me, and Edmee mentioned that Ari has her own natural warding around her. That may have masked my return as well,” Gabriel answered.

“So, we may still have somewhat the element of surprise in our back pocket?” Jay asked.

“We can't count on that though, Jay. For all we know we are being watched now,” Castiel said.

“If I know Luke and Jay, they warded this motel room to the rafters shortly after getting here,” Remy said, looking at the brothers.

They nodded.

“That's all well and good guys, but if we are going to figure this out, we have to go to Dylan’s room to see if there is anything else there,” Arianna said.

“Ari’s right,” Sam said.

“Guys, they could be sitting there waiting for us! Even if Ari is the Guardian, she doesn’t have all her powers yet. If they get their hands on her, she's gone,” Gabriel said, fighting the urge to pull Arianna into his arms.

“I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Gabriel. Also, if they see Gabriel there’s no telling what they will do. I understand we have to go, but we need to do it smart. I'm not losing any of my family tonight,” Luke said.

Arianna noticed the concern in Luke’s voice was not only for his siblings and Remy, but also for Gabriel, Sam, and Cas as well. He hadn't come right out and said it, hell he probably didn't even realize it himself, but she knew he had meant everyone in present company.

“Then we go in as prepared as we can. Between the seven of us, we might just be able to get the upper hand,” Arianna said with a smile.

* * *

Castiel stood in front of Dylan’s motel room door waiting for the Impala to pull into the parking lot. He had gone ahead of the others to scope out the building the motel room was in, checking it and the room itself for any traps that may have been laid out for them. When none were found, he called Sam to let them know it was safe.

They had taken every safety precaution they could, including warding the Impala itself against angels. They all had angel blades at the ready, and the hunters loaded their weapons with angel blade bullets that Sam had brought from the other world and stashed in the trunk of the Impala.

After a brief argument between Luke and Arianna about her staying behind, which Luke quickly lost, they had set out for Dylan's motel. The ride had been silent, each of the Impala’s occupants preparing themselves for whatever lay ahead.

Sam once again pulled the Impala into the parking space next to Dylan’s truck, and everyone filed out of the car. Arianna felt her heart sink at the sight of Dylan’s abandoned vehicle, and she felt Jay slip his arm around her shoulders.

“We will get him back,” he whispered.

She nodded and pulled away from him as she started towards the door. When they all reached Castiel, everyone shared a confirming look. Castiel then opened the door and they all walked into the room.

Arianna started when she saw the condition of the room, realizing that Jay had been right when he had described it to her back at the motel. All her years of hunting and honing her skills had taught her what a room looked like after a fight, and this was obviously staged. Someone had wanted them to find this, had wanted to lure them here. She had somehow gotten in front of the group as she walked around the room taking in every detail, and she stopped in front of the bathroom door, looking up at the men in the room with her. She noticed the look on Gabriel and Castiel’s faces immediately.   

Their eyes were wide as they stared at each other, their angel senses clearly seeing something the humans in the room didn’t.

“Gabriel!” Castiel said urgently.

“I know, Castiel, I feel it too. We’ve got company coming,” Gabriel said, his eyes flashing to Arianna.

Impossibly fast, he was standing next to Arianna with his arm around her waist.

“Sorry, Sugar, it’s best if you sit this part out,” Gabriel said as he pressed two fingers to her forehead.

She instantly fell limp in his arms when his fingers came in contact with her. He easily caught her unconscious body and picked her up bridal style. He slung open the bathroom door and quickly but gently placed her on the green tile floor. He promptly exited the bathroom and slammed the door shut and in an instant he was standing beside Castiel again just as the loud deafening boom echoed through the room.

A strong blast of wind knocked Sam, Castiel, and Gabriel into a one wall and sent Luke, Jay, and Remy crashing into the one across the room. They all groaned as they tried to pull themselves to their feet, but a strong force shoved them back up against the walls, hindering their ability to move.

They heard laughing and they all focused their eyes on the source. In the middle of the room Uriel stood, smiling triumphantly. His smile faltered slightly when his eyes fell on Gabriel and he quickly composed himself.

“Gabriel, why, we thought you were dead. I guess you are as much of a trickster in this world as you  _ were  _ in my world,” he said.

“Yeah, I've got this whole faking my death thing down pretty well,” Gabriel said, taunting him.

Anger flashed through Uriel’s expression as he mentally tightened the invisible bonds on Gabriel. Gabriel grunted, but fought showing any signs of discomfort. Uriel looked around the room at his captives.

“I am going to ask nicely, once. Where is this so called  _ Angel Expert _ ?” He said the last two words with disgust. “We've seen that she exists in the human’s mind, so don't even try to lie.” 

Luke and Jay shared a look that silently confirmed their lie.

“Do you think we are stupid? We all knew this was a trap. She is nowhere near here,” Luke spat out in anger.

“She’s somewhere safe and you will never find her,” Gabriel said, catching on to their charade.

Anger flashed in Uriel’s eyes again. He walked over to stand in front of Sam, who looked up at him, matching his anger.

“Tell me where she is, Sam. I might be able to help you get your brother back if you do.” 

“Bite me!” Sam said, venom in his voice.

Uriel landed a punch to Sam’s face and mentally tightened his grip on all of them, they all groaned against the pain. He turned his eyes to Luke, Jay, and Remy.

“I'll tell you what, boys. Bring me the  _ Angel Expert _ and I might let these sorry excuses for angels and the Winchester live. If she is really as good as the human thinks she is, she should have no problem finding me. You have two hours before I kill them all,” he said.

With another deafening boom, Uriel was gone along with Sam, Castiel, and Gabriel, and the the invisible bonds on Luke, Jay, and Remy disappeared. They sat for a moment in stunned silence knowing how bad the situation had become.

“Shit! Ari!” Luke said and scrambled to his feet towards the bathroom door.

The other two men were right on his heels as the bathroom door was thrown open and Luke immediately dropped to the floor next to his sister. He pulled Arianna into a sitting position against his chest while Remy and Jay stood over them.

“Ari!” Luke said, gently shaking her. 

Arianna jerked awake clutching onto Luke’s arms. 

“GABRIEL!” she screamed.

She frantically looked around at her brothers and Remy; they avoided eye contact with her. She turned her face to Luke.

“Luke, what happened? Where’s Gabriel? Where’s Sam and Cas?” she asked frantically.

Luke looked up to his brother and Remy, silently asking for help. Jay knelt down beside Arianna and put his hand on her shoulder.

“Ari, an angel, I'm guessing one of Michael's, took them. He had us pinned to the wall. There was nothing we could do.”

Arianna pushed away from her brothers and stood to her feet. 

“What did he want with them?!” she almost screamed.

“Cher, he wanted you. He only knows you as an angel expert. I don't think they’ve figured out who you are. He's given us two hours to deliver you,” Remy said in a calm voice.

Arianna wrapped her arms around herself and leaned her back against the bathroom wall. She was trying desperately to make her brain work, to come up with a plan. She had to get them back. She had to get Gabriel back. As her mind landed on Gabriel, she felt what Edmee had meant by remembering their bond, could almost feel where he was. She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling.

The outside of a dark and abandoned house came into focus. Her instincts kicked in as she let herself go into the vision in front of her. The inside of the house slowly formed in her vision, and she could see the whole layout from a bird's eye view. From there she pulled her eyes to the road outside of the house, and followed it back to the room she was standing in. Her eyes popped open.

“I know this is going to sound incredibly crazy, but I know where they are. It isn't far from here,” she said, taking the time to make eye contact with all of them.

“What's the plan, Ari? The element of surprise has been thrown completely out the window,” Luke asked.

“Then we go in through the front door,” she said defiantly. “We are getting our family back.”

“Agreed,” Luke, Jay, and Remy said in unison.

* * *

Edmee sat at her kitchen table with an Enochian spell book open in front of her. A picture of Arianna laid in the middle of the book on top of the worn and tattered pages. She held a silver-bladed dagger in one hand, clutching its obsidian hilt as she brought the blade down to the palm of her other hand.

With a quick and determined movement, she made a slice across her skin, letting the blood drip onto the picture of Arianna. She started to chant a few words in Enochian and fluttered her eyes close. The room around her seemed to vibrate as her head fell back. 

Her eyes suddenly snapped open, revealing nothing but the whites of her eyes.

* * *

Sam groaned as he forced his eyes open. He was sitting against a wall with his long legs stretched out in front of him, and he felt that the invisible bonds were holding him securely against the wall. He struggled against the unseeable force as he discovered that the only part of his body he could move was his head. 

He scanned the room around him and discovered that he was in a run-down house that appeared to have been uninhabited for a long time. The room was quite large, but empty, and mostly dark. A small lantern sitting in the corner of the room by a large archway that led into the rest of the house barely cast enough light to see in the room. He could just make out a door and a large double-paned window across the room, as well as the other bodies pinned against the wall on either side of him. 

Castiel and Gabriel were to his left, their heads hanging down. They appeared to be breathing and otherwise unhurt. To his right he saw a man who had been beaten unmercilessly, his eyes swollen, nose broken, lips bloody. He had cuts on his face that still oozed blood. His shirt had also been ripped open and long slices ran down his chest. Sam felt his stomach churn as the realization hit him that the beaten man beside him was Dylan. 

“Dylan!!” Sam whispered as loud as he dared, knowing they were probably being watched. “Dylan! Dylan it’s Sam! Come on, man, wake up! Please don't be dead!” he begged.

The sound of Sam’s voiced caused the angels next to him to stir. They groaned as they opened their eyes. They took in the room around them, also only able to turn their heads. Their eyes finally fell on the frantic Sam and the bloody Dylan.

“Sam! Is that-” Castiel started.

“Yes!” Sam said in a strangled voice, turning his head to look at the angels.

“He's not dead, Sam, but he's really weak,” Gabriel said.

Sam nodded. “Dylan, can you hear me?” he asked, looking back to his friend.

Dylan groaned and attempted to move his head, but when pain shot through his body he stilled. 

“Sam? Sam, is that really you?” Dylan asked weakly.

“Yeah, man, its me!” 

“Sam! Sam, I'm so sorry!” Dylan said, and his voiced cracked. “I didn't willingly tell them anything. That bastard angel that's in Dean pulled it from my head! Please tell me Ari is ok! It’s her they want! They know about her angel knowledge. They think she can help them find the Guardian or whatever.”

“She, Luke, Jay, and Remy are fine,” Gabriel said in a hushed voice, deliberately not mentioning anything about the Guardian.

“Who is that?” Dylan asked with fear creeping into his voice.

“It’s Gabriel. Castiel is here too,” Sam told him.

“They got all three of you?” Dylan asked.

“Yes, the angel that took us gave Luke, Jay, and Remy two hours to deliver Arianna,” Castiel explained.

“They will never hand over their sister,”  Dylan said.

“Oh they will if they want any of you to live,” a familiar male voice said from the archway.

Dylan stayed still but the others jerked their heads in the voice’s direction. Standing before them was Michael, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at them darkly with Dean’s green eyes.

“Dean!” Sam choked out, unprepared at the sight of the Archangel.

Michael’s eyes shined with his grace. 

“Dean’s gone and he is never coming back,” he said with an evil cocky grin. 

* * *

The outside of the two-story dilapidated house was covered in overgrown vines and plants. At one time quite lovely, the white paint that had been used on the large double-paned window next to the front door had become dirty and dingy, and was peeling from the from the siding, and the window was so covered in dirt the light source inside was barely discernible.The paint on the door had almost worn completely away, but had once been robin’s egg blue.

The grass that hadn’t been cut in what appeared to be ages reached halfway up the pole that had once held a mailbox at the end of a concrete walkway. The concrete had weeds that poked up through cracks that reached almost all the way to the house.

Arianna held an angel blade in one hand, eyes on the house, and tried to swallow past the lump of fear in her throat. It had never been something she thought of when she went on a hunt. She always always thought about getting in, ganking the monster, and getting out. But this time, there were people she loved and cared about who were being held captive inside, and the monster that she could almost feel was waiting for her, she couldn't kill it, not until she got it out of its current vessel, anyway. 

And she had no clue how to do it, and this time, fear was exactly what she felt.

Her brothers stood on either side of her, Remy on the other side of Luke. Each man also held their own angel blade. Jay also held a heavy green duffel bag in one hand. They were all prepared to follow Arianna’s rescue plan.

“You think they can see us yet, Cher?” Remy asked, in a quiet voice.

“I would put money on it,” she answered gravely.

When Luke swiftly stepped in front of the group, they all turned their attention towards him. His face was etched with worry that he didn't even try to hide.

“I'm sorry guys, but I have to say this. Why are we doing this!? Why are we risking our lives for people we met two fucking weeks ago! If we leave fast enough, our warding will hide us from Michael and he won't be able to find us! If we step into that house, then that's it. We are forever intertwined with the Winchesters and their fucking angels!! That's basically like holding a sign up that says  _ hey come kill me _ !” he vented out.

Luke grabbed Arianna’s hand. 

“Come on, Sis. Lets just bail and leave the ones who fucked up to clean up their own mess,” he begged.

Arianna jerked her hand away from him with a disgusted look on her face. 

“Luke! What the fuck?! How can you even say that?! Even if you don't care what happens to Cas, Gabe, or Sam, which is complete bullshit, Dylan is your friend!”

“And he's probably already dead!” Luke argued loudly.

“I can't walk away from this, Luke. I  _ won't _ walk away from this! Everyone in there means to much to me!” Arianna argued back.

“That's ridiculous, Ari! If you think that any of them, besides Dylan, cares about you other than what you can do for them, then you’re an idiot!” Luke’s voice was booming with anger now. 

“That's not true!” she screamed desperately, looking at both Jay and Remy. “Come on guys, back me up on this!” she begged.

Jay and Remy looked at each other with a guilty expression and dropped their heads to stare at the ground. Arianna grabbed Jay’s arm.

“Jay, please! You said you had my back!” Arianna pleaded.

“Ari..” Jay started, making sure to avoid eye contact with his sister, “I'm sorry, but Luke is right. If we go in there, we die right along with them. Maybe we should just leave.”

Arianna dropped his arm and looked at him with hurt, betrayal, and shock. She quickly turned to Remy.

“Remy?” she asked.

“Cher, I'm sorry. I can't watch you die, especially not for a lost cause. We need to go home. Now.”

“I'm not going anywhere! If you three want to bail out like cowards, then just fucking go! I, on the other hand, am going to save the people I care about!” Arianna said defiantly.

“So, you're choosing the Winchesters and two fucking angels over us?! We are your real family, Ari, not them!!” Luke bellowed.

“Blood doesn't make you family, Luke!” she screamed.

“Fine! Go in there and get yourself killed! But I'm not going to watch it!” Luke said as he turned and walked down the street away from his sister.

Jay looked at Arianna with tears in his eyes before he followed his brother down the street. Arianna turned to Remy, tears falling down her face.

“Are you leaving me too?!” she demanded.

“I won't watch you kill yourself, Cher,” he said, not looking at her as he turned and followed her brothers.

Arianna watched the trio walk swiftly away until they turned the corner, disappearing from sight. She turned back towards the house and wiped her tears away. It was time to go to work. 

With her free hand, she reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a set of brass knuckles carved with Enochian symbols. The symbols gave a faint glow as she slipped them onto her hands. Gripping her angel blade tightly, she began the walk to the front door.

A heavy and ominous feeling settled over her when she stood in front of the door. Somehow she knew Michael was watching her every move. Her hand gripped the door knob and she slowly opened the door.

She cautiously stepped through the threshold and took in her surroundings. Her eyes immediately fell on Gabriel being held against the wall by an unseen force and she ran to him. His eyes locked with hers as she knelt beside him.

“Ari! Why in the hell are you alone? Where are your brothers? Where’s Remy?” he demanded.

“Long story,” was her only reply.

She looked next to him and saw Castiel and Sam with the same questions in their eyes. When she spotted Dylan, his broken form pulled a strangled gasp from her. She quickly got to her feet and ran over to him, kneeling beside him and taking his bloodied face in both her hands.

“Dylan! Dylan, no! I'm so sorry! It’s all my fault you're here!” she cried with tears in her eyes again.

He groaned at her touch. 

“Ari, no, you have to get out of here! It’s you he wants!” he said, trying to warn her.

“I know, Dylan. I had to come save your ass though,” she said, forcing a smile.

“No, Ari, you have to get out of here. I know why he's so strong. I felt it when he probed my mind. It's because he's -” 

Dylan's voice was cut off as his head was violently jerked from her hands too far to one side by the same unseen force that held him to the wall. Arianna heard a sickening crack as his neck broke and his head slumped lifeless.

“DYLAN!!” Arianna screamed as she fell back landing on her butt.

She stared at Dylan’s lifeless body still pinned to the wall with wide and terrified eyes. 

“Couldn't let him spoil the big surprise now could I?” a male voice said from behind her.

Arianna jumped to her feet and turned to face the voice. Two men stood near the archway in the room, one of which she recognized from pictures Sam had shown her at the bunker. It was Dean, or rather, Michael possessing Dean. The other she didn't recognize, but she knew he was one of Michael's angels. She narrowed her eyes at them, her fury burning inside of her as she stepped closer to them.

“Well, I never thought this angel expert I picked from the human’s brain would actually end up being the Guardian I've been looking for, and that saves me so much time. You haven't come into your power yet though. I should have known you would look exactly like my world’s Guardian. She met a rather  _ bloody  _ fate, as will you. Is your name Arianna as well?” Michael asked.

“It seems you have me at a disadvantage. I only know one of your names,” she said calmly as she gestured toward the angel standing next to Michael, taking another step towards him.

Michael’s smiled and it sent a chill down her spine. 

“This is Uriel,” Michael said, then turned his eyes to the other Archangel. “To answer your question that Arianna so easily deflected, Gabriel,” Michael said in a mocking tone, shifting his eyes to the blond-haired woman, “her brothers couldn’t stomach dying for an angel, so they left her. You really shouldn't have come alone. Do you know what I did to my Guardian?”

“I don't really give a rat’s ass,” Arianna answered, still maintaining her calm voice. She took another step.

Michael laughed. “I slowly cut her into pieces and made my Gabriel watch. I'm going to do the same to you.”

Arianna smiled, taking another step. “You know, I've heard all these stories about you the past two weeks, about how you ran your angels like a general at war, and I have to say, I'm a little underwhelmed.” 

She took another step.

Anger flashed across Michael’s face. “Oh please, do tell me why!” he mocked.

“Because you made the biggest mistake that you could possibly make during war.” She took another step.

Michael looked at her with anger and confusion. 

“And that is?” he asked.

Arianna took one final step towards him. She was now a mere two feet away from him.

“Underestimating your enemy,” she said, looking into his eyes. “NOW!!!” she screamed, as she threw her fist into Michael’s face.

With the Enochian brass knuckles attached to her fist, the punch caused pain to explode through his face and he stumbled back. Without anymore warning, Luke, Jay, and Remy ran into the room from the darkness of the archway. Remy was instantly on Uriel, and made quick work of the startled angel as he shoved his angel blade deep into the angels chest. Uriel’s head flew backwards as bright white beams of light shot threw his eyes and mouth. The dead angel fell to the ground with a thump.

At the same time, Arianna landed another punch to Michael’s face, causing him to stumble further back. Jay and Luke took the opportunity to wrap an iron chain with Enochian binding symbols carved into every link around his neck. The brothers forced the Archangel to his knees, stretching the remaining length of the chain around his wrists before crossing his hands behind his back. Now standing on either side of the angel, the brothers wrapped the slack of the chain around their hands and pulled tightly to hold him in place.

As soon as Michael was bound, the invisible bonds on the others disappeared. Dylan’s body fell over with a sickening thud. Gabriel, Castiel, and Sam quickly got to their feet and joined the others around Michael.

Arianna moved to stand in front of Michael while Sam, Castiel, and Gabriel flanked her brothers and Remy. Michael peered up at Arianna with a cold and deadly glare. 

“I'm going to filet you open, you bitch!” he growled.

She smiled tauntingly at him. “Big talk coming from a bound Archangel on his knees,” she said. “I'm going to ask only once for you to leave Dean willingly.” She narrowed her eyes and stared at him menacingly.

A wicked smile crossed Michael's face. 

“You know, you have a good poker face, but your anger and fear has your mind wide open,” he laughed. “Oh this is rich!” he laughed again. “You let Gabriel into your bed?!”

“WHAT?!” Luke choked.

“Bigger fish, Luke!” Jay snapped

Arianna’s expression never faltered. She knew exactly what Michael was trying to do, and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. 

“Say whatever you like Michael. I'm confident in my actions and my feelings,” she spoke calmly.

“Dean is mine. Now and forever. You can't pull me out without your powers,” Michael taunted.

Arianna’s lips turned into a small smile. 

“I don't need my powers to make you leave,” she said, walking around Jay, Remy, and Gabriel to stand behind Michael's back. “See, I know what makes you tick. I know what causes you pain.” 

She grabbed the neck of Michael’s shirt and cut it all the way down with the angel blade. She watched as the separated fabric fell to either side of his back.

Michael turned his head as much as he could against the chains in an effort to look at her. 

“You don't have the stomach to do it,” he growled.

Arianna pressed the tip of the angel blade into his shoulder blade just enough to hurt and made him wince. 

 

“Do you want to test that theory? Or would you like to go quietly?” she asked.

“Fuck you, bitch,” he spat.

Arianna pressed into his shoulder blade where the top of his wing would have been hard, but was careful as she did so. She knew she had to do this right or she would risk seriously injuring Dean. Michael screamed in agony as the blade sliced into him.

“Get out of Dean or I’ll cut them both off!” Arianna warned over his screaming.

“Oh I'm going to enjoy watching the light leave your eyes, bitch!” Michael bellowed, sending his voice echoing through the empty house.

Arianna slowly pressed the angel blade in deeper and pulled down to the middle of his shoulder blade. As she did, white light and blood covered feathers starting bursting from the wound. Michael screamed in agony and anger again.

Michael was breathing heavy, trying to recover from her last cut. As his breathing calmed, he began to laugh, and it was dark and taunting. Arianna chanced a worried look at Jay, seeing that his expression matched hers.

“I must applaud your attention to detail.” Michael spoke low, with hate and venom in his voice. “I've never seen Archangel binding chains done so accurately, nor have I ever met a human who knew exactly where to find the outline of our wings. It’s a shame your chains were only made strong enough to hold the power of  _ one  _ Archangel though.”

Michael closed his eyes and clenched his fist as the room around them began to shake. Arianna saw the Enochian symbols on the chain around his neck start to glow bright red. She quickly pulled the angel blade from his shoulder.

“MOVE!” she screamed.

Before the word had even left her mouth, Michael snapped the chains around his wrists. The force knocking Arianna to the floor on her back. Michael grabbed the ends of the chain and threw Jay and Luke across the room into a nearby wall, taking out Sam and Castiel as they sailed through the air. With a quick sweep of his hand, Remy and Gabriel went flying into the opposite wall. Holding his arms wide, he sent a force through his palms with his grace, locking all of them where they landed. Dropping his hands to his sides, he rounded on Arianna.

Within seconds he was on his knees, straddling her chest and wrapping his hands around her throat. He began to squeeze, cutting off her air supply. She struggled, trying to try move her limbs, to fight back, but she was being held down by his grace, rendering her body immobile.

She could hear her heart pounding in her head along with other muffled voices, screaming her name. She thought she could pick out Luke, Jay, and Gabriel’s voices, but they sounded like they were a million miles away from her. Michael was squeezing her neck so hard she could feel the blood vessels popping. The room began to blur and spin as darkness creeped into the edges of her sight. Just as she was about to give in to the darkness, she heard Gabriel’s voice like he was right beside her.

“Ari, please don't give up! You have to fight this! We need you! I need you! Remember what Edmee said, hold on to your memories! Find your power!”

Arianna squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to think of anything but her burning lungs. Then, like a movie playing through her mind, the memories of the ones she loved began to wash over her: Luke teaching her about cars. Studying with Jay. Both of her brothers looking at her proudly when she showed them her GED test scores. Celebrating her brothers’ birthdays. Remy spinning her around as he hugged her tightly. Cooking with Edmee. Holidays she and her brothers spent with Remy and Edmee. Laying in her bed talking with Gabriel. Her first kiss with Gabriel and him telling her he loved her. The look of gratitude and admiration on Castiel’s face when his wings were repaired. Taking on the Gahe with Sam. Sitting with Jack while he asked her question after question about angels. Watching Luke, Sam, and Jay teaching Jack how to play poker while Gabriel secretly stacked the deck in Jack’s favor.

The memories began to stir something in her and a warm, comforting heat began to uncoil in her chest, spreading out in every direction. She let it take her over, feeling a power inside of her growing fast and strong. The pain around her neck and the burning in her lungs stopped suddenly, causing her eyes to open, her sapphire-blue eyes blazing with a bright purple hue.

Terror swept across Michael’s face when he saw and felt the change within her. Arianna, no longer feeling his grace holding her down, reached up and placed her palms against his chest.

“GET OFF OF ME!” she screamed as a bright violet beam of light shot from each of her hands, blasting Michael off of her and into the far wall of the room.

Arianna jumped to her feet and ran to Michael. The Archangel pulled himself back to a standing position, and what she had to do next seemed to come to her mind instinctively. She placed her hands on either side of his head and concentrated her power.

“Get out of him!” she growled as her hands lit up with power once more.

Michael fought hard against her as he desperately tried to keep the others pinned to the floor. He stared into her eyes as he pushed back at her power with his grace, but she pushed harder at his mind, the energy with her blazing to a deep magenta as she fought back against him.  

“Dean! Dean, you have to fight!” Arianna screamed.

Arianna pushed at Michael’s grace, and she heard him growl as he pushed back at her with a sudden renewal of power. Then she felt it, what he had meant earlier when he had said that the chains were only strong enough to hold the power of one Archangel; Michael’s grace was intertwined with the power of  _ three _ Archangels. He had stolen the grace of the other world’s Gabriel and Raphael, found a way to twist them and weave them with his own. A perfect power reserve to use whenever he needed or wished.

“You can feel them now,” he said with a feral laugh.

Arianna felt the three graces push against her mind and her knees started to weaken from the force. She fought hard to stay on her feet as she pushed back, searching for Dean. The brilliant energy that surrounded her began to flicker, fading back and forth.

Gabriel had landed on his stomach, and he pushed and pulled against the grace holding him to the floor. As Michael put more effort into fighting Arianna, he felt it loosen its grip on him and he was able to move his head towards her. His heart sunk when he saw her struggling with effort to keep standing as her power slowly started to dim.

The only thought he had in his mind at that exact moment was of helping her. He concentrated on his own grace, pushing it against Michael’s desperately, trying to free himself. He knew he had to get to her. 

His eyes began to glow with his grace as he pushed hard with his hands, slowly pushing himself up. His blocked grace suddenly faltered and he hit the ground hard. As he laid there angry at his own helplessness, an idea came to him. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard, using what little grace he had been able to obtain when Michael’s grasp had starten to loosen its hold upon upon him. He let it float through the room and sought out the one person he knew could help him.

“ _ Edmee! I know you are there!”  _ He screamed with his mind. _ “Edmee!” _

* * *

__

Edmee still sat at her kitchen table, head flung back with white and unblinking eyes staring at the ceiling.

“ _ Edmee!! Can you hear me?!” _ came Gabriel’s desperate voice into her mind.

“I hear you, Gabriel,” she answered.

“ _ Edmee, Ari is losing energy fast! Michael has Dean hidden pretty deep. I can help her, but I need your help.” _

“Tell me what you need, Gabriel.”

“ _ Latch onto my grace, help me get to her. You can slip in and find Dean while we occupy Michael.” _

“Gabriel, this is risky. This could completely drain your grace.”

“ _ It’s a small price to pay for a future with her.” _

“As you wish.”

Edmee lowered her head. Sliding her knife across the palm of her hand again, she drew more blood. Enochian words began to chant from her lips and the room around her began to vibrate again as it began to appear to melt around her and bright white light filled the room.

* * *

Gabriel felt Edmee the moment she attached herself to his grace. He could feel the force of Michael’s grace drip off of him like water rolling down his skin. Pushing with his hands again, he managed to get his legs underneath him. As he pushed himself to a standing position, the rest of Michael's force fell off of him. Without thinking he flew to stand behind Arianna.

Arianna felt the touch of familiar hands wrap around both of her wrists. She could feel Gabriel’s body pressed against her back.

“Ari, let me in. We can do this together,” he said into her ear.

Arianna could feel the warmth of his grace swirling around her. Tightening her grip on Michael’s head, she leaned into Gabriel, opening her mind to him. The glow around her stopped flickering and instead intensified. The connection was like an explosion in both of their minds. Her power began to entangle with his grace and they both felt the curse blocking his grace shatter. 

Gabriel’s grace surged fast and forcefully through both of them as his full power returned to him. He quickly took control of it and helped Arianna push into the walls of Michael's mind. Their mingled power hit him hard, causing a break just big enough for Edmee’s consciousness to slip in unnoticed. 

“Dean!! Help us force him out!” Arianna screamed.

******

Dean walked through the bunker, opening doors and looking inside each one. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he figured it was Sam or Castiel.

“Sammy?” he called as he stuck his head through the threshold of the kitchen.

Nothing.

He continued his search towards the library.

“Cas?” he said, walking in.

He froze in his tracks when he saw the old woman standing in the middle of the room. She had white hair with wrinkled salted caramel skin. Her diamond blue eyes appeared to almost glow when they met his candy apple-green eyes.

“ _ Dean!”  _ A female voice called his name.

“Who the hell are you and what the hell was that?” he asked as his eyes darted around the room.

His eyes landed on his gun laying near him on a table and he grabbed it, pointing it at the old woman.

“ _ Dean!” _ The voice said again.

“Talk!” he demanded.

“Dean, my name is Edmee, and I'm a friend of a friend of your brother, Sam,” she said calmly, the gun pointed at her not phasing her.

“Never heard of you,” he said, cocking the gun.

“Oh we don't have time for this!” Edmee said, flicking her hand.

The gun flew out of his hand and landed across the room and he watched as it hit the floor. When he turned his eyes back to Edmee, he was startled to find her right in front of him.

“ _ Dean!”  _

_ “ _ Who is that!?” he demanded of Edmee.

“Dean, you have to listen to me! You are possessed by Michael. He has you in this dream state to subdue you! You have to remember and break free from this!” Edmee said sternly.

Dean stared into Edmee’s eyes. Something about her kept him frozen to the spot he stood in 

“ _ Dean!” _

_ “ _ That is my Arianna calling to you! She is trying to pull Michael out of you, but he has the grace of two other Archangels mixed with his own. You have to help her and fight!”

Dean stared into Edmee’s eyes as everything started to come back to him: He had said yes to Michael, he had killed Lucifer. And then Michael had taken over. He had tried to fight him, but he had fallen into this dream state.

As realization crashed down on him, the bunker faded away. He and Edmee stood in total darkness, and his expression oozed pure hatred for the angel using him.

“How do I help?” he asked.

“Follow her voice, and it will lead you out of this prison that Michael has you in,” Edmee said, then vanished.

“ _ Dean!”  _ the voice called again.

This time Dean really listened. 

“ _ Dean!” _

“Gotcha!” he said, and started to run as fast as he could in the direction Arianna’s voice.

* * *

“DEAN!!” Arianna screamed again.

This time she felt him clawing against Michael's walls. 

“ _ I said get out of me you son of a bitch!”  _ she felt more than heard him scream.

Michael threw his head back, bluish-white beams of light shooting upwards out of his eyes and mouth as he was forced out of Dean’s body. The force of his exit threw Arianna and Gabriel backwards, crashing to the ground in front of Dylan’s body. The invisible bonds holding the others to the ground disappeared when the light faded from the room. Everyone looked just in time to see Dean’s body slide down the wall.

A stunned silence filled the room as all eyes fixed on Dean. When he groaned and started to push himself into a sitting position against the wall, Sam and Castiel jumped to their feet and ran to his side, dropping to their knees beside him.

“Dean?” Sam asked as his eyes filled with tears.

Dean slowly opened his eyes.

“Hiya, Sammy,” he said weakly.

Sam and Castiel both threw their arms around him.

Gabriel helped Arianna sit up as Luke, Jay, and Remy made their way towards them. Gabriel kept her in his arms, supporting her weight. He could feel she was still recovering from the amount of energy she had thrown into pulling Michael from Dean.

Arianna turned her head to look at Jay as he fell to his knees beside her. Behind him she could see Dylan’s body on the floor against the wall. She pushed away from Gabriel and crawled past her brother to get to him. Once beside him, she quickly rolled him flat on his back and placed her hands on his neck. She concentrated hard, calling on her new powers, focusing on healing his broken neck.

Nothing happened.

She tried again.

Nothing.

She started crying as she tried again, but it was all in vain.

“Why isn't it working!?”she asked frantically as she tried again.

Arianna felt Gabriel kneel beside her and take her hands in his, but she didn't take her eyes off of Dylan.

“Ari, I'm sorry, he's gone,” he said softly.

“No! I have the powers of an Archangel! I can bring him back!” she screamed, jerking her hands from him.

She put her hands back on Dylan and tried again. Still, nothing.

“Arianna,” Castiel said, kneeling beside her as well.

“Cas!” she pleaded, tears streaming down her face as she looked at him.

“Arianna, his soul has already passed on to Heaven, and with Heaven’s gates locked, not even an Archangel can pull a soul back out,” Castiel explained with pain in his eyes.

“No!” she screamed as she threw herself into Gabriel.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her, letting her sob into his chest.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Mamé = informal French term for grandmother.
> 
> Cher = Louisiana Cajun French term meaning darling, dear, or sweetheart.
> 
> Merde = Shit
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. The God of Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean is back and now the real fight can begin. But, first they have to figure out what they are up against. After Dylan's funeral, Dean and Arianna go on a search for answers that leads them to an old friend of Arianna and her brothers. But, the means to finding those answers puts them in a dangerous situation.

**Chapter 4: The God of Dreams**

 

  
  


Dean stared at the floor of Sam, Luke, and Jay’s motel room as he sat on the foot of one of the beds. His brother, Luke, and Jay had just finished explaining the events of the last two weeks to him. He closed his eyes as the overload of information sank in. After a few moments he chuckled and looked at his brother.

 

“Sounds like you've had a busy couple of weeks without me, huh Sammy?” he asked, looking at them sitting around the small table.

 

“Yeah, you could say that,” Sam replied.

 

“You know Michael is still out there. It won't be long until he finds another vessel,” Dean said

 

“I know,” Sam said.

 

Dean turned his attention to Luke and Jay.

 

“So, are you guys still on board with stopping this ass hat with us?” Dean asked.

 

Jay looked at his brother, who nodded at him.

 

“It seems our sister doesn't have much of a choice, not that she would choose to otherwise. Either way, we stand by her no matter what. Plus, the others have kinda melded in with our little family pretty well,” Jay said.

 

“Thanks guys,” Sam said gratefully. “By the way, nice move with the whole fake bailing on Ari. How did you guys even know how to maneuver through the house?”

 

“That was all Ari. I guess she focused on Gabriel and saw where you guys were taken. She was able to see the entire layout of the house, so she used It to her advantage. Edmee has some crazy powerful warding placed on me, Ari, Jay, and Remy. Unless an angel physically has eyes on us, they can't see us unless we want them to,” Luke explained.

 

“Knowing that, Ari came up with the idea of letting Michael see us get into a fight and take off. Once we were far enough away, we made sure to make a conscious decision to block Michael from seeing us. We then were able to sneak into the back of the house undetected,” Jay said

 

“Edmee...” Dean mulled the woman’s name over in his mind. “Still trying to wrap my head around her being real,” he said. “I mean no disrespect by this, but what the hell is she?”

 

“She's a psychic witch and apparently the Guardian’s keeper,” Jay said.

 

“Well that's definitely a first,” Dean said.

 

The rustle of wings caught their attention as Castiel appeared in the room, standing next to Dean.

 

“Remy is back at Edmee’s with Dylan’s body. He is building a pyre while Edmee prepares his body for the hunter’s funeral,” Castiel explained gravely.

 

“Thanks Castiel,” Luke said.

 

“Where are Arianna and Gabriel?” Castiel asked.

 

The men in the room shared a pained glance at one another.

 

“They're right outside. Ari said she needed some air when we started to get Dean caught up with everything he’s missed while he was gone,” Jay explained. He took a deep breath. “Gabriel went with her.”  

 

“How is she doing?” Castiel asked.

 

Jay looked at his brother with a sorrowful look. “She isn't taking Dylan’s death very well.” He looked back to Castiel. “She hasn't really said much since we left that house.”

 

The sound of the door opening caught their attention as Gabriel walked in the room and closed the door behind him. He crossed the room to Jay and handed him a set of car keys.

 

“Dylan’s truck keys,” Gabriel said, answering Jay’s silent question. “Ari wants me to zap her back to Edmee’s, said she can't handle driving back right now.”

 

“How is she?” Jay asked.

 

Gabriel sighed. “She still refuses to heal the bruises around her neck from Michael, and she won't let me heal them either.”

 

“How is your grace?” Castiel asked.

 

Gabriel looked at his brother. “Seems to be back to working order.”

 

“Yeah, I still don't understand that one, nor how you're alive,” Dean said. 

 

“Ari is the answer to both of those. She brought me back when her powers started to reveal themselves, and when I connected my grace with her, those powers broke the curse that the Kentucky fried ass hole put on me.”

 

“You make it sound so simple,” Dean said sarcastically.

 

“Don't worry Dean-o, I'll go into more detail when we have more time. But right now, I have a very distraught woman outside that I need to go take care of. We’ll see you guys back at Edmee’s,” Gabriel said as he walked back towards the door and opened it.

 

“Gabriel,” Luke called.

 

Gabriel turned to look at him. “Yeah, Luke?”

 

Luke pursed his lips and looked into the Archangel’s eyes. 

 

“Make sure you land inside the house. I don't want her to have to see Dylan again until she has to and.. “ he took a deep breath and exhaled, “Take care of my sister.” 

 

Gabriel smiled. “You have my word, Luke.”

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Luke pulled into Edmee’s gravel driveway in Dylan’s black pick up truck. Jay sitting beside him in the passenger's seat. Dean followed behind them in the Impala with Sam and Castiel. As they all exited the vehicles, Edmee walked out of the house to greet them.

 

“My boys are home!” she said happily as she hugged Luke and Jay. “You must be Sam and Dean Winchester!” she said, turning to them.

 

Dean surprised everyone, including Edmee, when he grabbed the older woman to wrap his arms around her tightly. She recovered from her surprise quickly and returned his hug.

 

“Thank you for waking me up,” Dean said.

 

Edmee pulled away and took Dean’s face in her hands. 

 

“My dear boy, that was all you, Gabriel, and my Arianna. All I did was nudge the situation in the right direction.”

 

Edmee released Dean and turned to face Sam. He smiled broadly at her and he also pulled her in for a hug.

 

“I feel like I already know you,” he said.

 

“I'm glad, dear,” she said as she gave him one in return.

 

Edmee broke her hug with Sam and moved down the line to Castiel. She shocked the angel when she embraced him too, and he awkwardly did the same.

 

“It’s good to see you again as well, Castiel.” She pulled away from him. “I think you should go get Jack now, though. I think we should all be together tonight for Dylan’s funeral.”

 

“I agree. I’ll return shortly,” Castiel said, and was gone with a rustle of wings.

 

“Where’s Remy and Ari?” Luke asked.

 

Edmee turned to look at him. “Remy is finally sleeping. He was working until six o'clock this morning building the pyre. Arianna is in her room with Gabriel. She had a rough night. I'm afraid she isn't handling Dylan’s death very well. She blames herself.”

 

“Gabriel didn't help Remy with the pyre?” Luke asked, a little anger slipping into his voice.

 

Edmee turned an angry gaze on Luke. 

 

“Drop your tone, boy. Gabriel did exactly what you asked him to do. He took care of your sister. You need to drop this prejudice you have against him. If it wasn't for Gabriel, Michael would have killed your sister last night. Gabriel is the one who got through to her, and Gabriel is the one who was willing to risk draining every ounce of his grace to help her evict Michael from Dean. He had no clue that letting Arianna use his grace would break the curse over him and restore his power.” Edmee’s tone was stern.

 

Luke looked away, feeling chastened by the Cajun woman’s words. “Yes ma’am,” he muttered.

 

Edmee expression softened as she moved to stand in between Sam and Dean. She hooked her arms with theirs and began leading them towards the house.

 

“Now come on. I’ve made breakfast for all of you,” she said.

 

Jay smiled as he and his brother followed the Winchesters and Edmee inside the house. He looked over to his twin and frowned when he notice the guilty look still on his face. Jay nudged his twin's arm with his elbow.

 

“You alright?” he asked.

 

“I've been too hard on him, haven't I?” Luke asked in return.   
  


“Our sister threw a bowl at your head, dude. That should have been your first clue,” Jay said   
  


“Yeah, I guess it should have,” Luke let out a sigh. “I should probably apologize to both of them, huh?”   
  


Jay turned to his twin as they reached the threshold of the house.   
  


“I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do, Luke. But, Ari needs us on her side completely. Do whatever you need to do to make that happen.”

  
  


* * *

 

Arianna and Gabriel laid in her bed in comfortable silence. He held her as she rested her head on his chest, one of her arms tucked between them and the other draped over his stomach. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the relaxing feeling of him running his fingers through her hair.

 

Gabriel hadn’t left her side since they had landed in Edmee’s living room the night before. The connection they had made when he lent her his grace was still strong, and he could feel the whirlwind of emotions coursing through her. Gabriel wanted nothing more than to make her pain go away. She blamed herself for Dylan’s death, and no matter how many times he told her it wasn't her fault, she had yet to believe him.

 

A knock at the door broke the silence. Arianna raised her head and looked at Gabriel.

 

“Are you up for visitors?” he asked.

 

“I don't think I'm going to have much of a choice today,” she said.

 

“Come in,” Gabriel called.

 

They looked towards the door as it opened and Luke stepped through the doorway. He stiffened slightly as he took in Gabriel and Arianna’s position on the bed.

 

“I'll let you guys talk,” Gabriel said.

 

He placed two fingers under her chin and tilted her head up so he could kiss her on the lips. Arianna pushed herself up into a sitting position as Gabriel pulled away from her and got out of the bed. He gave a nod to Luke as he walked past him and closed the door behind him after exiting the room.

 

Luke walked over and sat on the end of Arianna’s bed, facing her. They sat in silence for a moment as he searched his mind for something to say.

 

“Are you OK, sis?” he asked quietly.

 

Arianna shrugged. “I don't really want to talk about that,” she said.

 

“So, you and Gabriel, huh?” he asked, changing the topic to the only other subject in his head.

 

“Yup,” she said.

 

“He's not going anywhere is he?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Is it because of the Guardian thing?”

 

“That doesn't hurt things, but no, it’s not because of that. I love him, Luke.”

 

Luke nodded his head and sighed. “I know. I've known since the night you threw a bowl at my head.”

 

Arianna chuckled a little. “I didn't throw it at your head. I threw it in your general direction. You deserved it though.”

 

Luke smiled. “Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. For everything.”

 

Arianna cocked her head slightly and looked at him skeptically. 

 

“Where did that come from?” she asked.

 

“Back in Dylan’s motel room, when that angel was on his way, Gabriel’s first instinct was to protect you. Then, as Edmee made sure to point out to me, he got through to you when Michael was about to kill you, and he was willing to give up his grace completely to make sure you were safe. He’s made it clear he loves you too. I can see that, and I can admit I was wrong about him, and Castiel too.”

 

Arianna smiled at her brother. “Thank you, Luke. That means a lot to me.”

 

Luke moved to sit beside her and put his arm around her. 

 

“It doesn't mean I won't kill him if he hurts you!” he said.

 

Arianna laughed as she leaned into him.

 

“Ari?” he asked cautiously.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Dylan wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over this.”

 

Arianna’s smiled dropped from her face and she felt her eyes fill with tears.

 

“Luke, don't,” she said, trying to pull away from him.

 

He tightened his arm around her shoulder, keeping her in place.

 

“Just listen. Dylan cared about you. He wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over something you had no control over. Being a hunter automatically puts all of our life expectancies pretty low. If not Micheal, it would have eventually been some other monster that got the jump on him. You did everything you possibly could to save everyone, Ari. I promise you, we will avenge Dylan though. Michael is going to regret the day he ever stepped foot in our world.”

 

Arianna wiped the tears from her eyes. “You really think I can do this?” she asked.

 

“There isn't a doubt in my mind.”

 

“I don't even know where to start. We still have to sit down and talk about how and why he’s gotten so strong.”  

 

“We start the way we always do, Ari. We figure out exactly what level of boned we are, then we make a plan of attack. Everything else will fall into place, and at least this time we have a lot more back up than we usually do.”

 

“I guess that's true, but, we are pretty much uber boned this time.”

 

“We got this,” Luke said, hugging his sister tightly. “And by the way, you should really let Gabriel heal those bruises on your neck.”

 

* * *

 

Gabriel was sitting in one of the black metal patio chairs on Edmee’s front porch when Luke came outside. He was holding two open beers in one hand as he pulled the front door closed. Gabriel watched as he sat down in the chair next to him and handed him one. Luke gestured towards it with his own and Gabriel clinked the neck of Luke’s bottle with his. They both took a long swig. 

 

“I owe you an apology, Gabriel. I've been a real prick the past two weeks,” Luke said.

 

“You don't owe me an apology, I understand,” Gabriel said.

 

“No, I was wrong about you and Castiel. I'm sorry.”

 

“Don't worry about it. It’s not like my brother made a good impression. If he wasn't already dead, I would kill him myself.”

 

Luke let out a heavy breath. “You know, with this gig, you become numb to the idea of fear. But, the thought of losing my brother or sister, that terrifies me. They were all I had for a long time until Edmee and Remy found us. So, when Raphael took Ari, I lost my mind. Those two months are mostly a blur. But, I remember the night we found her like it was yesterday. Remy and Jay were fighting off Raphael's guards and I went for Raphael. It’s not like I had anything that could kill him, but I had to fight him until he accidentally led me to where he had Ari. Somehow I managed to draw out a banishing sigil without him killing me. Once he was gone, I finally got a good look at my sister. I have never been more scared in my entire life than when I saw her strapped to that table. There wasn't a part of her body that wasn't covered in blood. She was laying there broken, covered in cuts and burns all over her, and she wasn't breathing. It was like I was moving on autopilot as I ripped those straps off of her and started doing CPR. Only time in my life that I prayed. I begged God, or any angel that would listen, to just please bring her back to me. Eventually she coughed up blood and started breathing again by some miracle. She was in and out of consciousness for three weeks after that. If it wasn't for Edmee, I honestly don't think she would have made it. 

 

Then, something amazing happened. I watched her pull herself up from that and the first thing she wanted to do, as soon as she was well enough, was to start hunting again. She said hunting was how she made the world a better place, and she wasn't going to let a near death experience take that from her. She healed herself the best she could with what she was given. But, there were still times that you could tell that the nightmares got to her. So, when you walked into our lives, my instant reaction was to protect her. I did my best to ignore the way she started looking at you. The only thing I could focus on was the past, and that wasn't fair to either of you. Ari loves you, and after last night, I know you love her too.”

 

Gabriel took a moment to take in everything Luke had said before he spoke. 

 

“I would do anything to protect her, Luke. I hope you know that.”

 

“I do. Just don't break her heart.”

 

“I won't.”

 

Luke took a drink of his beer. “There is a pretty fucked up road ahead of us, isn't there?”

 

“I'm afraid so. It’s not going to be easy either.”

 

Luke laughed. “It never is, man. Do you think we can pull this off?”

 

“We don't have a choice really. But, Sam and Dean don't ever give up, and you and your brother and sister don't seem the type to give up either.”

 

“What about you?”

 

“I spent a lot of my life running, and recently I decided I wasn't going to do that anymore. Come whatever, I’ll stand by Ari until my last breath.”

 

* * *

 

Edmee, Sam, Dean, and Jay sat around the kitchen table. Edmee watched happily as the boys inhaled the food she had prepared for them. It was simple, just eggs, bacon, and biscuits, but from the way the men ate, they hadn't had a real meal in quite some time. Dean finished first and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach in appreciation.

 

“That was amazing, Edmee. Thank you,” he said.

 

“You're very welcome, dear. I knew you would be hungry, since Archangels don't tend to eat. How are you doing by the way? Any dizziness or anything?” Edmee asked.

 

Hearing Edmee’s question, Jay and Sam stopped eating and looked at Dean.

 

“Don't look at me like that guys! I'm fine! No crazy side effects. Nothing,” Dean said, brushing off their concern.

 

“But, how? You were possessed by an Archangel. We've seen what the does to people, Dean,” Sam asked unconvinced.

 

“I imagine it has something to do with Arianna and Gabriel. I would imagine one of them, or both, healed you as Michael vacated,” Edmee answered.

 

“So, what, is Ari an angel now?” Jay asked.

 

“No, she is still inherently human. She has the powers of an Archangel, though she can't do everything they can. For the most part, she has their fighting and defensive skills, and their healing abilities. She can't materialize things out of thin air, nor does she have wings. In theory though, she could use an Archangel blade to kill another Archangel,” Edmee explained.

 

“Too bad we don't have one of those anymore. We lost the one we did have in Apocalypse World,” Dean said.

 

“What happens now, Edmee? Michael is still out there,” Sam asked.

 

“Honestly, Sam, I don't know. I haven’t been granted a glimpse of that future timeline. But, I know there will come a time when you all must face the Archangel again. Until then, we prepare for the fight and we look for any sign of him. All of you are in this together now, whether you like it or not, and I feel that together is the only way of truly defeating Michael.” 

 

“He's a lot stronger than he should be, Edmee. He even said he had the power of more than one Archangel right before he snapped the binding chains,” Jay said.

 

Dean’s eyes flashed to Edmee’s. He could almost feel her telling him that now was not the time to get into that subject.

 

“And we’ll discuss that, but right now we have more pressing issues to attend to. First, Sam and Dean, I need to ask a favor of you.”

 

“Whatever you need, Edmee. You guys have done a lot for us,” Sam said.

 

“Castiel will be back with Jack soon, and I would like everyone to stay here, at least for a few days. I want to keep an eye on you, Dean, just in case. Being possessed by an Archangel doesn't usually leave a body in much more than a vegetative state, and I want to make sure you stay vertical. Also, I would like to keep Arianna near me. She’s undergone a huge change, and is dealing with a tragedy on top of it. While I have all the faith in the world in Gabriel and the rest of you boys to help her through it, I would feel better if she were near me.”

 

“Done,” Dean said without hesitation.

 

Sam nodded his head in agreement.

 

Edmee smiled and placed a hand over each of theirs. 

 

“Thank you, boys.” She turned her eyes to Jay. “If you have finished eating, Jay, would you please go round up the others? Like I said, Castiel and Jack will be here soon, and we need to move forward with Dylan’s funeral.”

 

“Of course,” Jay said, standing up from the table and exiting the room.

 

Edmee turned her eyes back to Sam and Dean. She was still holding their hands in hers.

 

“Are you sure you boys are OK with all of this? Staying here? Working with us?” she asked.

 

“Sam, Cas, and I had a lot of time to talk on the way here. They both assured me that they wouldn't have been able to bring me back without Ari and her brothers,” Dean said.

 

“And it’s like you said, we are all in this together now,” Sam said, completing Dean’s thought.

 

* * *

 

Burning Dylan’s body was hard for everyone, but doing it together brought them all closer. While it had been difficult saying goodbye, each of them took comfort in sharing stories about the late hunter. They told Jack and Gabriel how they had met and how forming a friendship with him had been inevitable. They spoke of his strong character and loyalty, and how he had never backed down from a fight. About how he was always willing to stick his neck out for a fellow hunter. 

 

Once the fire had died down and they all stood silent in the darkness, Edmee had instructed each of them to get some much needed rest. She also requested an audience with Gabriel and Castiel. She didn't go into detail why, but the angels agreed nonetheless and followed her inside the house.

 

Unable to sleep, Arianna made her way outside and sat on the hood of her car, leaning back against the windshield. She stared up at the stars in the night sky, letting her mind drift and replay the events of the last two weeks. The sound of footsteps broke her concentration, and she looked around to see Dean standing in front of her, holding a full bottle of Tennessee Whiskey.

 

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

 

“Not at all,” she said.

 

“Yeah, me either. Mind if I join you? I come bearing gifts,” he said, holding up the bottle of whiskey.

 

“Come on up,” she said, scooting over to one side.

 

He walked around to the side of the hood and pushed himself into a sitting position beside her.

 

“Ladies first,” he said, opening the bottle and handing it to her.

 

She smiled and took the bottle from him. She took a generous drink, taking a moment to relish the burn of the alcohol as she swallowed it. She handed the bottle back to him and he took a drink.

 

“How are you doing?” he asked as he put the cap back on the bottle.

 

“I could ask you the same thing,” she said, avoiding the question.

 

“Yeah, but I asked first,” he said, smirking at her.

 

Arianna sighed. “I'm a little overwhelmed,” she said, surprising herself with her honesty.

 

“Happens to the best of us. It’s not like the last forty-eight hours have been exactly easy, especially on you.”

 

“I think you fall into that category too, Dean.”

 

Dean took the cap off the bottle and took another drink.

 

“I guess,” he said as he passed the bottle to her.

 

She took the bottle and took another drink.

 

“Any lingering side effects?” she asked, handing him the bottle.

 

“Just anger. I guess I have you and Gabe to thank for that though. Edmee thinks you healed me as Michael was leaving.”

 

“I felt us both trying to heal you, so she may be right.”

 

“Thank you for that, and for helping my brother, and for healing Castiel’s wings, as well. From what Sam says, you've accomplished a lot in the short amount of time you and your brothers have been around.”

 

“Helping people is what we do, Dean. It’s part of the job description. I just wish I could have helped Dylan. He didn't deserve to go out like that.” Arianna had to fight to keep the tears from forming in her eyes.

 

“About that, you have to stop beating yourself up over it.”

 

“Dean, literally the only reason he's dead is because he knew me. I've dealt with death before. I've lost friends, and there were people that I couldn't save. But, no one's death has ever been simply because they knew me!” She was starting to lose the fight with her tears.

 

“Believe me, Ari, I know the feeling. There have been more than a few people in my life who would still be alive if it wasn't for them helping Sam and me. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about it, and at some point you have to realize that everyone makes their own choices. All you can do is make sure that they didn't die in vain. That's how you honor them.”

 

Arianna was silent for a moment as she mulled over his words in her head.

 

“I know you're right, Dean. This fight won't be an easy one though.”

 

“I've been meaning to ask you about that, but I haven't exactly been able to get you alone to do it.”

 

“We’re alone now.”

 

“When you were in Michael's head, did you feel it?”

 

“You mean the other two Archangel graces floating around?” 

 

“Yeah, it was weird though. It was almost like he had them on reserve. Is that how it works when an angel steals another angel’s grace?”

 

“Typically, no. When an angel steals another angel’s grace, it kind of molds to their own grace until the stolen grace becomes their own. Depending on the original power of the angel that stole it, they may need to steal grace from more than one angel to match their power, but either way it would still become their own. Nephilim grace is another story, which is why Lucifer became so much stronger. But I felt within Michael his own grace and the graces of his world’s Gabriel and Raphael, all separate from each other. Gabe thinks that he must have cast some sort of spell to keep the graces apart to make himself stronger.”” 

 

“Gabriel felt it too?” 

 

“Yes, it was the first thing we talked about with Edmee once we got back last night. I haven't talked to Remy, Luke, or Jay about it yet though. Have you told Sam, Cas, or Jack?”

 

“No, I had a feeling I should talk to you first.”

 

“Edmee made it pretty clear that today was about recovery and Dylan, so I haven't brought it up since Gabe and I talked to her about it.”

 

Dean took a long drink from the whiskey bottle and handed it to Arianna. 

 

“Tomorrow is going to be full of fun conversation,” he said.

 

“You know it.” She took a drink.

 

“What level of screwed do you think we are?” 

 

“On a scale of one to ten, I’d say we are about a twelve.”

 

“Awesome,” Dean said, taking the bottle from her hand and taking another long drink.

 

“Can I ask you something, Dean?” Arianna asked.

 

“Sure.”

 

“My new found powers aside, why are you so keen on working with us? From what I've heard from Sam, I expected more resistance.”

 

“Michael knows who we all are, pretty sure that means we are all on his list. Working together may be the only way we all make it out. That, and Sammy seems pretty fond of you and your brothers. So does Cas. You seemed to have made quite the impression on them. Gabe as well, obviously.”

 

Arianna laughed. She could feel the alcohol starting to take effect. 

 

“I guess that's one way of putting it,” she said.

 

“How is the whole you and Gabe thing going, by the way?”

 

Arianna laughed again as she took the bottle from him and took another drink.

 

“Are you trying to pull a big brother move on me, Dean?”

 

“Maybe a little, I just know how he is. I mean he shacked up with porn st...I mean..uh..shit!” Dean said as a horrified look crossed his face.

 

Arianna threw her head back and laughed. 

 

“Don't worry, Dean. You didn't get him in trouble. I know about the porn stars.” 

 

She took another drink and handed him back the bottle as she turned to look at him again.

 

“You know about that, huh?”

 

“Yes, I know about Loki, the trickster, the womanizing, faking his death, and the things he's put you and Sam through as well. He’s not any of those things anymore though. He may still have some trickster in him, but you don't know him as well as you think you do.”

 

“I guess you're right. I did start to see that right before he died in Apocalypse World. Still though, Gabriel doesn't seem like the feelings kind of guy.”

 

“He's been really great actually. Especially the last two days. I pretty much had a complete melt down on him last night once the adrenaline wore off and the gravity of everything hit me. He never flinched, just jumped right into talking me down from the ledge. I wouldn't have gotten through the night without him.”

 

“What are you two talking about?” Gabriel asked suddenly out of nowhere.

 

Arianna and Dean jumped at the sound of his voice, turning to see the Archangel standing beside the car on Arianna’s side.

 

“Dammit, Gabriel! Don't do that shit!” Dean scolded with annoyance.

 

“Yeah, Gabe! Not cool! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Arianna agreed.

 

Gabriel smirked at them. “My bad. Trying to get my girl drunk, Dean-o?” he asked, gesturing toward the mostly empty bottle in Dean’s hand. 

 

There was a slight hint of jealousy in his voice that didn't go unnoticed.

 

“Just sharing some whiskey with a friend,” Dean said, offering Gabriel the bottle.

 

Gabriel smirked but took the bottle from Dean and took a drink. He handed the bottle to Arianna. She took another long drink and handed the bottle back to Dean. He took a drink and replaced the cap on the bottle. Then he jumped down from the car and turned to look at Gabriel and Arianna.

 

“Guess I'll leave you guys to it. I really should try and get some sleep. Thanks for drinking with me, Ari.”

 

“Thanks for sharing,” Arianna said, smiling at Dean.

 

Dean winked at her and turned to make his way into the house. Gabriel and Arianna watched him until the door closed behind him. Arianna brought Gabriel’s attention back to her by reaching up to grab the neck of his shirt and pulling him down as she guided his lips to hers. His hand went to the side of her neck as he deepened the kiss. After a minute or two he pulled away a little breathless. He pressed his forehead to hers.

 

“Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?” he asked.

 

Arianna pulled away from him and sat up from the windshield. She turned herself on the hood of the car so her legs were hanging off the side, then grabbed Gabriel’s hips and pulled him to stand in between her legs. His hands immediately went to rest on her thighs as Arianna twined her fingers behind his neck.

 

“That was for last night. Through everything that happened, you never once stopped believing in me, and when I fell to pieces on you, you helped me put myself back together. Thank you.”

 

“You're welcome. But, you don't need to thank me. Speaking of putting yourself back together, you seem to be in a better mood,” he said while he ran his hands up and down her thighs.

 

“Yeah, talking with Dean kinda put a few things into perspective. The alcohol helps too,” she said with a giggle. The whiskey had gone straight to her head when she sat up.

 

Gabriel laughed. “Are you drunk, Sugar?”

 

“More tipsy than anything,” she said, giggling again.

 

“Well whatever it is, I'm really glad to see you smiling again.” 

 

He smiled at her, but his eyes caught the bruises around her neck and it fell. 

 

“Would you mind healing them for me?” Arianna asked.

 

Gabriel’s expression brightened. 

 

“Are you sure?” he asked.

 

She nodded and leaned her head to one side. Gabriel lowered his lips and began littering her neck with soft kisses. She felt warmth spread through her skin as the bruises faded away. Gabriel’s hands slid to her ass and pulled her to the end of the car into him. His kisses began to trail up to her ear where he nipped her earlobe, drawing a small moan from her. He pulled away from her ear and pressed his lips to hers again. When he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, she granted him access and their tongues swirled together with a heated rhythm. Arianna broke the kiss and pressed her forehead to his.

 

“I think we should take this back to the bedroom,” she said as she ran her fingers through his hair.

 

“Your wish is my command, my love,” he said and snapped his fingers.

 

* * *

 

It had been three days since Dylan’s funeral, and everyone had thrown themselves into answering the questions that were raised by their altercation with Michael. Arianna had explained to the others what she, Gabriel, Dean, and Edmee had discovered about the different graces subsiding in Michael. Thus began the search for what kind of spell could accomplish whatever Michael had done to himself. All the while, they still kept searching for signs of Michael taking another vessel.

 

They had spent another three days going through every book in Edmee’s house and spent hours on laptops searching for answers. Arianna then decided that she needed some of her notes and books that were still at the bunker, and made a list of which ones she needed. Cas and Gabriel agreed to take Luke and Jay to retrieve them, and Sam decided to tag along to grab any other supplies that could be useful.

 

Before leaving, Sam, Dean, Castiel, Gabriel, and Jay stood in Edmee’s living room, going over Arianna’s detailed list.

 

“Since Ari keeps everything pretty organized it shouldn’t take us long, but going through the bunker’s library will take a bit of time though,” Jay said, looking down at the list. 

 

“That really shouldn't take too much time either. We pretty much have everything angel related already pulled out,” Sam said.

 

“Why are you being such a stubborn bitch about this!? I'm just trying to protect you!” Luke’s loud and angry voice roared from the hallway.

 

“Why are you being such a dick!?” Arianna’s angry voice shouted from the same location.

 

“Oh dear God! What the fuck are they fighting about now?” Jay asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

 

Arianna stormed into the living room with her arms crossed over her chest, Luke following closely behind her. 

 

“Ari, it’s not a good idea. Just wait until we get back and I’ll go with you!” Luke boomed angrily.

 

Arianna turned on her heels to face Luke and put her hands on her hips. They were standing barely a foot apart as they argued.

 

“I don't want you to go! I can take care of myself!” she almost screamed.

 

“Guys!” Jay said loudly. “What the hell are you fighting about?” he asked when they turned to look at him.

 

“She wants to go meet Dylan’s sister by herself while we are gone,” Luke explained, anger still lacing his voice.

 

“Good God, Luke! It’s just fucking lunch! Malinda is verifiably upset, and she wants some answers! We owe her that much!” Arianna snapped.

 

“That’s fine! I just don't understand why I can't go with you! Or hell, fucking take Gabriel! Just take someone with you!” Luke yelled.

 

“You've met her once and she doesn't know Gabe at all! She’s not going to want either of you there!” Arianna yelled back.

 

Luke looked pleadingly to the other men in the room. 

 

“Come on guys, back me up on this! I know you don't want her to go alone either, Gabriel!”

 

Arianna narrowed her eyes at Gabriel.

 

“Sugar, he does have a point. It isn't safe for any of us to be alone outside of here or the bunker right now,” Gabriel said cautiously

 

“Thank you!” Luke said gratefully.

 

“Then I’ll go with her,” Dean chimed in. “I'm close with Malinda and I would love to see her.”

 

“Dean, is that really a good idea?” Sam asked.

 

“Come on, Sam. You can't keep me locked up forever. Edmee put the same warding on Jack, you, and me that she has on Ari, Luke, Jay, and Remy. No angels can find us unless we want them to.”

 

“Dean, no!” Arianna said.

 

“Ari, please let Dean go with you! We aren't accomplishing anything by standing here arguing about it!” Jay said, pleading with his sister.

 

“Fine!” Arianna said with annoyance as she rolled her eyes.

 

“We should really get going,” Castiel said, trying to break the hanging tension in the room.

 

Gabriel walked over to Arianna and kissed her.

 

“I’ll see you soon,” he said softly.

 

Her expression softened, then she nodded and kissed him again.

 

Luke and Jay moved to stand on either side of Gabriel, and he put a hand on each of their shoulders. He glanced back at Castiel to make sure he had done the same with Sam, then with a sound of rustling wings, the five of them were gone.

 

Arianna and Dean looked at each other.

 

“You gonna tell me where we’re really going?” Dean asked.

 

Arianna chuckled. “How’d you know?”

 

“You don't try that hard to ditch someone without a reason. That, and I talked to Malinda this morning to get her address so I could send her Dylan’s ashes. She’s still in California.” 

 

Arianna smiled. “Busted.”

 

“Now, where are we going?” he asked again.

 

“To see an old friend of ours in Hammond.”

 

“If it’s an old friend, why couldn't Luke or Gabe go?”

 

“I may have hooked up with the guy’s son a few years back, and Luke broke his nose when he found out.”

 

“Yeah, OK, I can see why you wouldn't want either of them there.”

 

“There is one other thing you should know.”

 

“What's that?”

 

“The guy we are going to see is Morpheus, the god of dreams.”

 

Dean’s mouth dropped open.

 

“Before you freak, let me explain!” she said, holding up her hands defensively.

 

She took his silence as her cue to continue.

 

“Morph is benevolent; he doesn't dabble in his dream work anymore. He's married to a mortal woman and he has a son. His son didn't get any of his powers, so they live a human life. He also owns a sports bar in Hammond. We were working a case with a dreamwalker gone nuts there a few years ago, and we got ourselves into trouble. He saved us and took care of the dreamwalker, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

 

Dean visibly started to calm down. “Why go see him now? What can he do to help us?”

 

“We need to find out what happen to the Gabriel and Raphael from Apocalypse World. With his ability to move through dreams, Morph can move through different planes of existence, and he told me once that he could even peer into other dimensions. I figured we could get him to look around and see if he can pick up on anything for us.”

 

“You trust this guy?” 

 

“I really do.”

 

Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

 

“Then let's get a move on before the others get back.”

 

“Your ride or mine?” she asked, smiling broadly.

 

“Mine, of course.”

 

 

* * *

 

Dream Weaver was the name of a small and inconspicuous sports bar in the heart of Hammond, Louisiana. The walls on the inside of the bar were a deep navy blue with flat screen TVs and strategically placed sports memorabilia. Each of the TV's played a different sports recap channel or the local news station.There were a couple of booths in the far corner next to a touch screen jukebox. Six small, round, high-rise tables were dotted throughout the rest of the bar, each surrounded by four barstools. The bar’s ceiling was painted black and strung with white Christmas lights, and on busy nights it resembled the twinkling night sky.

 

The bar itself took up most of the right side of the room, and bottles of liquor and beer coolers sat on shelves against mirrors behind it. More TVs, each playing a different football game, were also positioned on the wall above them. Bar stools lined the front of the bar, and a door at one end of it had a small sign that read “employees only.”

 

A tall man behind the bar wiped down the counter as he hummed to himself, preparing for the night ahead. At this time the sports bar was empty as it was still early in the day. His skin and long, golden-blonde hair, pulled tightly into a ponytail, were kissed by the sun, and his arms and chest were thickly muscled. His deep turquoise eyes twinkled as he went about his bar duties. The love for his bar and his life seemed to radiate off of him. 

 

He looked up at the sound of the bell ringing above the door that entered into the bar, ready to greet a customer with a big smile. The smile grew even wider when he realized who had just walked through the door. 

 

“Ari!” he called as he walked at a quick pace around the bar and over to where Arianna and Dean now stood just inside the door.

 

As soon as he was close enough, he picked Arianna up in a tight hug.

 

“It is so good to see you again, darlin’!” he said as he set her back on her feet.

 

He looked over to the man standing next to her. “And you must be the friend Ari spoke of over the phone.”

 

“Yeah, Morph, this is Dean Winchester. Dean, Morpheus, god of dreams. We just call him Morph, though.” 

 

Morph’s eyes widened in shock as he shook Dean’s hand.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Morph,” Dean said as he let go of the god’s hand.

 

“Well, I’ll be! Never did I think I would have the honor of having one of the infamous Winchester brothers in my bar!” Morph said with admiration in his voice.

 

“You’ve heard of me?” Dean asked.

 

Morph laughed. “I would venture that there aren't many of my kind that do  _ not _ know about you, Dean. Though, some might not be as happy to see you.”

 

Dean smirked. “You may be right.”

 

Morph let out a full bodied laugh. “Come on you two. Let’s have a drink and talk about why you are here.” He turned his head toward Arianna. “I'm very interested in finding out what this power is I feel rolling off of you.”

 

Morph turned on his heel and walked back behind the bar. Dean and Arianna took a seat at two barstools in the middle and Morph turned to face them.

 

“Is this a beer conversation or a bourbon conversation?” he asked, eyeing them both.

 

Arianna and Dean shared a nervous glance.

 

“Might want to break out the bourbon for this one, Morph,” Arianna said, looking back to her friend.

 

An hour and three glasses of bourbon later, Dean and Arianna finished telling Morpheus everything that had happened, and where they currently stood in their situation. The god looked at them with an unreadable expression and downed the rest of the liquor in his glass.

 

“So you're the Guardian... Can't say I saw that one coming. And Gabriel is alive, just like I told Kali. I knew that trickster Archangel wasn't dead, but she wouldn't believe it, though,” Morpheus said after a moment of contemplation.

 

“You know Gabriel?” Dean asked.

 

“Oh yeah, I know him. Of course, when I knew him he was still parading around as Loki, but I always knew he wasn't the real Loki,” Morpheus said.

 

“How did you know?” Arianna asked.

 

“The real Loki was cold and heartless, and he wasn't anyone’s favorite god. Didn't give two fucks about humanity either, but Gabriel was different. He did put everything he had into his charade, but he was much more fun to be around, and his love for humanity was always apparent. If you go back and look up the people he supposedly killed while he was pretending to be the trickster, you will find them all still breathing with no memory of what happened to them. I guess Gabriel thought no one would notice as long as he made it look like he had actually done away with them. I am glad to hear he’s found something worth fighting for, because he always seemed so lonely underneath that arrogant facade of his.”

 

Morpheus then took the bottle of bourbon that sat on the bar and refilled their glasses.

 

“I have to ask though, Ari, why didn't you come to me when you first had that dream? I could have told you it wasn't one. Probably would have saved you a whole lot of time too,” Morpheus said, eyeing her.

 

“I was in denial, I guess. The only one I told was Jay.”

 

Morpheus smiled. “Well, you figured it out. That's the important part. Of all the alternate realities though, what kind of luck do you have to have to end up with the one that has the crazy jumped up Archangel?”

 

“Bad luck apparently,” Dean said.

 

“Hmm. I would say so. Now tell me, what is it you need from me, Ari?” Morpheus said.

 

“Wait. Just like that, you're on board?” Dean asked, surprised at the god’s willingness to help.

 

“Ari and her brother’s are like family. I would do anything for my family,” Morpheus said matter of factly.

 

“Morph, I was hoping that you could take a ride through the different planes, and maybe see if you could find out what magic Michael might have used. I know it's a long shot, but magic as strong as he would need to do something like that has to leave a mark. If you could find that, we might be able to find a way to counteract it,” Arianna asked. 

 

“That’s more than a long shot, Ari. But I will see what I can find for you.” Morpheus said. 

 

As the bell on the door rang again, the trio turned to see who had entered. Walking through the door was a man the spitting image of what Morpheus would have been if he were younger, but with very short hair. Dean noticed Arianna’s grimace as the man walked closer to them.

 

“Shawn! Perfect timing son,” Morpheus said happily.

 

“Hi, Dad,” Shawn said.

 

Shawn’s eyes were instantly on Arianna as a wolfish grin spread across his face. He walked up to her and slid his arm around her waist.

 

“Hey hot stuff! To what do I owe the pleasure of you being in our bar?” he asked, leaning into her.

 

With a disgusted look on her face, she peeled Shawn’s arm off and pushed him away.

 

“Not here to see you, Shawn. I'm here to talk to your dad.”

 

Dean stifled  a laugh at the look of shock on Shawn’s face.

 

“And who is this?” Shawn asked, and gestured towards Dean rudely.

 

“Drop the attitude, Shawn,” Morpheus warned.

 

Shawn immediately changed his demeanor. 

 

“Sorry, Dad,” he said and took a seat in the bar stool next to Arianna.

 

“I'm Dean, a friend of Ari’s,” Dean said, fighting the urge to switch seats with Arianna.

 

Shawn looked a Dean with an air of jealousy before he pulled his eyes to his father.

 

“Why do I have perfect timing?” Shawn asked his dad.

 

“I need to go in the back room and do something for Ari, and I need you to watch the bar.”

 

“Sure thing. Do you need some help back there? I'm sure Dean wouldn't mind,” Shawn said, looking back to Arianna suggestively. 

 

Arianna grimaced again. Dean, picking up on Arianna’s uncomfortable demeanor, put a protective arm around her. Arianna looked up to him appreciatively.

 

“I'm sure Morph has this covered,” Dean said, glaring at Shawn.

 

Morpheus laughed. “Yes, I do. I shouldn't be long.”

 

Morpheus made his way to the door marked “employees only” and disappeared inside.

 

Shawn got up from his seat and took his place behind the bar in front of them. Dean removed his arm, but kept disapproving eyes on Shawn.

 

“How long you in town for, Ari?” Shawn asked, leaning towards her. “You wanna do something later? Maybe have a little fun?”

 

Arianna rolled her eyes. “No, not going to happen. I'm seeing someone, Shawn.” 

 

“He doesn't have to know, baby,” Shawn said, leaning over the bar towards her.

 

Arianna leaned away from him.

 

“I said no, Shawn.”

 

“Wait! It’s not this guy is it?” Shawn asked, and hooked a thumb towards Dean, looking at him with a disgusted expression. 

 

“No, not me. But, he's my friend, and I will kick your ass in his absence if you don't back off,” Dean said, his anger clearly visible. 

 

Shawn took a step back at Dean’s threat.

 

Arianna laughed. “You heard the man.” 

 

Shawn grumbled as he grabbed a bar rag and walked away to wipe down the tables, leaving Dean And Arianna alone at the bar. 

 

“Thanks, Dean. You didn't have to do that though,” Arianna said.

 

Dean shrugged. “Dude’s a disrespectful prick, and I see why Luke broke his nose. How the hell did you end up hooking up with that jerk in the first place?”

 

Arianna shook her head at the memory. “It was Mardis Gras. We were really drunk. It had been a while, you know how it is.”

 

Dean laughed. “Oh I definitely do. Good move not bringing Gabe today. He was fighting jealousy when he found us drinking alone together. He might just smite this ass.”

 

Arianna laughed again. “Hence my secrecy.”

 

“You know they’re going to freak when they realize neither Gabe or Cas can locate us right? I imagine it won't be long until Luke asks Gabe to check in.”

 

“Why do you think I gave them so much to do? Gabriel can't just snap his fingers and get it done either, since none of them know what all they’re going to need.” 

 

Dean laughed loudly. “Well neither of our phones have gone off so far, so I guess that's a good sign we aren't busted yet.”

 

Morpheus suddenly walked back through the door he exited from earlier, looking disheveled. He leaned on the door for a moment before he walked to Dean and Arianna. Their instincts prickling, they both straightened on their barstools. Morpheus flattened his palms on the bar and hung his head.

 

“By the gods, Ari. You’ve really stepped in it this time,” Morpheus said darkly.

 

“What did you find, Morph?” Dean asked.

 

“Since Michael is in our world, it was easy to find the footprint for his own, but you knew that. But, that's not what's unnerving.”  

 

“What’s unnerving?” Arianna asked as a pit settled in her stomach.

 

“I can't tell you how the magic works, but it’s old angel magic, magic that hasn't been seen since the dawn of time. Essentially, he's ripped his own brothers’ essences apart, and it’s a process that is, for an angel, a torturous fate. He's taken the strongest parts of them for himself, and that’s all I could see unfortunately. And how it happened, I couldn't tell you. You’d have to speak to that world’s Gabriel or Raphael to find that out.” Morpheus raised his head to look at them. 

 

“If he’s ripped them apart, doesn't that mean they’re dead?” Dean asked.

 

“No, in order to keep their graces functioning, he’s kept them alive, but he's placed them somewhere separate from their world,” Morpheus said. 

 

“Do you know where that somewhere is?” Arianna asked.

 

Morpheus took a ragged breath. “He’s trapped them in Akashic.”

 

“Then we go to Akashic. I got there once, I can do it again,” Arianna said, standing to her feet.

 

“Ari, do you really think that's a good idea? Yeah, you’ve been there, but you don't know how you did it or how you got back,” Dean said

 

“Dean is right, Ari. You have just came in to your powers. I know you can perform amazing things with your abilities, especially when they are affected by your emotions. Dean sitting here free of Michael’s control is proof of that. But, you’ve yet to master those abilities, and that takes time, and trying to get yourself out of another plane of existence is no small matter. It’s a pretty risky way to test out your new skills,” Morpheus said, and put his hand over the one she had rested on the bar.  

 

“You said yourself we need to talk to them, and I have to try,” Arianna said, pulling her hand away.

 

“Do your brothers or Gabriel know you are here, Ari?” Morpheus asked.

 

Dean and Arianna shared a guilty look.

 

“That’s what I thought. I can't let you risk your life by trying something like that.”

 

“Morph!” Arianna started.

 

Morpheus held up a hand to silence her. 

 

“Let me finish,” he said. “I will take you, and if things get dicey, I can pull us out quick.”

 

“Thank you, Morph,” Arianna said, smiling.

 

“Exactly how hard is it to get in and out of Akashic?” Dean asked.

 

“Getting in isn't all that hard if you know what you are doing. Getting out, on the other hand, that's nearly impossible, and there are very few beings that can pull it off. However, because of how I move through the different planes, I can maneuver quite easily. Our bodies will stay here while our conscious minds take the trip; it’s safer that way. The stories I've heard about the Guardian say that she can physically take her whole body in and out of Akashic if need be. But, she has to know what she's doing or she could get stuck. How you pulled it off without even knowing you were the Guardian is beyond my knowledge though,” Morpheus explained.

 

Dean looked at Ari with concern in his eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this, Ari? Maybe we should call Sam and the others.”

 

“Dean, Luke freaked when he thought I was just going to lunch with a friend. We don't have time for the fight this would cause. This is our chance to get an advantage over Michael. I'm doing this. The only question is, are you with us or are you sitting this one out?”

 

Dean rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. 

 

“I'm in,” he said, regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth. “What do we need to do?”

 

Morpheus held a hand out towards them and two necklaces materialized on his palm. The chains were made of silver, and hanging from each chain was a round aqua green quarter-sized crystal.

 

“First, you each need to wear one of these. The crystals are pieces of my wings, and by wearing them they tie you to me. If something happens and we have to make a quick getaway, you are pulled out with me the instant I leave. It is very important that you do not take the necklace off for any reason while we are there. Taking it off breaks our connection and I could lose you.” 

 

Morpheus handed them to the hunters and they slipped them on around their necks.

 

“You have wings?” Dean asked.

 

“Yes, in my true form. Angels aren't the only ones with wings, you know,” Morpheus said with a wink. “Shawn, do me a favor and lock up the bar.” 

 

Shawn had been sitting in a booth at the far end of the bar. He rolled his eyes as he dragged himself out of the booth. He did as instructed and made his way over to stand beside Arianna.

 

“Anything else?” Shawn asked while winking at Arianna.

 

Arianna rolled her eyes and moved closer to Dean.

 

“Yes, I need you to stay close. You know what to look for and how to pull me out if things go south. Also, son, lay off Ari. The last thing you want to do is piss off an Archangel,” Morpheus said.

 

Shawn looked at Arianna with a shocked glance as he took a step back. “OK, Dad. I’ll keep a close eye on you.”

 

“Alright you two, follow me,” Morpheus instructed.

 

Morpheus turned and walked out from behind the bar and to the far back wall of the bar. Arianna and Dean followed him and mimicked his movements as he sat down on the floor with his back against the wall, legs stretched out in from of him. Arianna sat on his left, Dean on his other side, and when he held up his hands, they each took his hand into their own.

 

“When we arrive in Akashic, we need to stay together. We’ll have to go into the forest to search for the Archangels, and  _ do not take off your necklaces! _ ” Morpheus warned.  

 

Dean and Arianna both nodded.

 

“Rest your heads against the wall, close your eyes, and relax,” Morpheus instructed.

 

When Dean and Arianna did as he had directed, and Morpheus made certain that they were in the correct position, he also closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall.

 

“You might feel a little weird,” he said.

 

Dean and Arianna could feel a slight vibration coming up from the floor as a comforting warmth wrapped around their bodies, which caused both to fall into a deeper state of relaxation. Slowly the solid ground beneath their bodies faded away, and they seemed to be floating on nothing but air. Their legs then drifted down, and they each went to an upright position as wind began to rush past them. It intensified, making it hard to breathe, and as quickly as it had started, the wind was gone, and their feet connected with solid ground. Morpheus released their hands and they opened their eyes.

 

Dean gasped as he took in the sights around him. They were no longer in Morpheus’ bar. They had made it to Akashic, standing in the middle of a black-top road. He studied the giant stone wall, then his eyes fell on the forest and he felt dread wash over him. From deep within the wooded area, he could hear animalistic noises and feel eyes watching him.

 

“This is where you brought Gabe back from?” he asked, a little breathless.

 

“Technically, she dragged him from the empty to here, then brought them both back to our Earth.”

 

Dean turned his eyes toward Morpheus. “So, this is the middle ground between the different realities? Jay explained this place to me, but, damn.”

 

Morpheus nodded, held up his hand, and three daggers appeared. The blades were pristine and looked silver with handles of pure gold. He handed a blade to Dean and Arianna, and kept one for himself.

 

“The weapons you kept on you didn't make the trip. You will need these, and they have been enchanted to kill anything we may need to kill here,” Morpheus said.

 

“Let’s do this,” Dean said.

 

They all walked together into the thick, dark woods. Twisted tree branches hung low, and the ground crunched when they walked. Shrubs that came up from the ground seemed to have a mind of their own as they tried to latch onto their legs. Moving through the forest was difficult, so they used their daggers to cut through the underbrush as they forced their way deeper through the trees. 

 

A sudden loud, deep, and menacing growl stopped them in their tracks.

 

“That can’t be good,” Arianna said.

 

They quickly stood back-to-back with their daggers held out defensively. They scanned the area around them for any indication of where the growl had come from when another growl ripped through the forest, followed by complete silence.

 

Arianna whipped her head around, searching for the source of the sound. When a large, dark figure in the shadows just a few feet in front of her slowly opened a pair of huge, glowing eyes, she stilled.

 

“Uh..guys! We've got company!” Arianna said quietly.

 

Dean and Morpheus moved to stand on either side of her when they saw their visitor. Another low growl poured from the figure as it stepped closer, and light from some unknown source fell on the creature.

 

The creature was seven feet tall with a humanoid shape and had black scaly skin. Its eyes were deep set within a grotesque face, a sunken hole for a nose, and a mouth full of sharp, shark-like teeth. The creature had a sickening smile on its face as it licked its lips and flexed its fingers that ended with long, knife-like claws.

 

“What the hell is that fugly thing!?” Dean spat out while he gripped his dagger.

 

“That would be a Darcallis, one of Eve’s more sinister creations that God himself had to banish to Akashic,” Morpheus said, clutching his own blade tight.

 

The Darcallis roared as it leapt toward them and knocked all of them to the ground. Arianna made it to her feet first and lunged at the creature with full force. She sunk her blade into its stomach and the Darcallis wailed angrily as it tore at her side with its claws. Arianna screamed as Dean wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her away. Her necklace had also gotten tangled in the creatures claws and ripped from her neck, completely unnoticed by either human. 

 

Blood soaked through Arianna’s clothes, and she could feel it running down her leg as her vision blurred and she clung to Dean.

 

The Darcallis lunged at Morpheus and they went around in circles fighting each other until the Darcallis’ claws sunk into his stomach. It smiled as Morpheus began to glow with an orange hue.

 

“SHAWN!” Morpheus screamed.

 

Bright light coursed around the immediate area, knocking the Darcallis to the ground, and Arianna shielded her eyes from the light. She suddenly felt herself falling to the ground. She quickly realized she was no longer holding onto Dean. She hit the ground hard as the light faded. When she looked around, Dean and Morpheus were gone, and the Darcallis was back to its feet, looking at her like she was its next meal.

 

“Oh, fuck!” she cursed as she tried to make her body heal itself.

 

The Darcallis moved like it was going to pounce on her, and it suddenly froze where it stood as a blade shot through its chest. The monster looked down at the blade right before it burst into a thick cloud of dust.

 

“What the hell!?” Arianna yelled as she coughed and sputtered on the dust cloud.

 

As the dust began to settle, she saw the figure of a man come into focus. She gasped as her mouth dropped open when the man finally came into full view.

 

“Gabriel?!” she managed to choke out.

 

* * *

 

Dean’s eyes shot open as he took in a sharp breath, and choked on it as he felt himself being roughly dropped back into his body. He quickly sprang to his feet and into a nearby high rise table. He clung to it as his vision swirled around him. His heartbeat was hammering in his head, drowning out any and all sound. Slowly he started to get a grip on himself. His vision came to him first and then his hearing. As his hearing returned, he heard Morpheus’ voice strangled and near tears as he called Arianna’s name.

 

Dean whirled around to see Arianna’s limp body pulled into Morpheus’ lap. Shawn knelt beside him, pale and with a terrified expression on his face. Dean noticed that the necklace she had been wearing was gone. Morpheus closed his eyes as he called her name again. 

 

“Morpheus what the hell happened!?” Dean demanded.

 

Dean rushed to where they sat on the floor and dropped to his knees. Morpheus opened his eyes, looked at Dean, and the emotion he saw in the god’s eyes made his heart drop to the floor.

 

“Her necklace must have been ripped off during the fight.” Morpheus struggled as he spoke. 

 

“Then get in there and go get her! She’s hurt, Morpheus!” Dean raged.

 

“The Darcallis drained my energy, Dean,” Morpheus said as his voice broke.

 

“What does that mean?!” Dean yelled.

 

“It means I don’t have the power to go get her. Not until I recharge, which could take days.”

 

Dean fell to a sitting position as the reality hit him.

 

“She’s stuck in there?!” 

 

* * *

 

Jay was in the library of the bunker putting the last of the books they were taking with them in a box. Castiel and Sam had just left to bring the first round to Edmee’s. He looked up from his task as Gabriel and Luke came in carrying boxes of Arianna’s notebooks. Jay rolled his eyes as he heard their conversation.

 

“It’s been three hours and none of us have heard anything from her or Dean! This is bull shit,” Luke grumbled as he dropped his box on the table next to Jay.

 

Gabriel and Jay shared an annoyed look. Luke had been grumbling and bitching about Arianna since they had landed in the bunker three hours earlier. 

 

“You should have put your foot down and gone with her, Gabriel.”

 

Gabriel and Jay both laughed.

 

“And how much luck do  _ you _ have with telling her what to do, Luke?” Gabriel said with a smirk.

 

Luke muttered under his breath as Gabriel set the box he was carrying on the table.

 

“Besides, she’s with Dean, and if she’s safe with anyone, it’s him. If they got into trouble, one of them would have called,” Gabriel said.

 

“Yeah, Luke, calm down,” Jay said.

 

Luke looked at them with disbelief. “Are both of you actually going to tell me you believe she just went to lunch?!”

 

“Of course she didn't. She and Dean both hid themselves from me the moment they left the house, and I would put money on it that they did the same to Castiel,” Gabriel said calmly.

 

“And you are OK with her lying to you?” Luke asked smugly.

 

“Hell no, but there isn't much I can do about it until she decides she wants me to see her again. But, I do trust her. She did this for a reason,” Gabriel said, a little annoyed.

 

“Whatever, I still have a bad feeling,” Luke grumbled angrily as he sat in one of the chairs at the table.

 

Jay picked up the last book to put it in a box, and paused when he saw the cell phone that had been hidden by it. He picked it up and showed it to Luke and Gabriel.

 

“This one of yours?” he asked both of them.

 

He turned the phone back to himself as it began to ring. When it lit up, he saw Dean’s name come across the screen.

 

“Must be Sam’s phone, because it’s Dean calling,” he said.

 

“Better answer it then,” Gabriel said.

 

Jay pressed the talk button and held the phone to his ear.

 

“Hey Dean, what's up?”

 

There was a pause before Dean spoke. 

 

“Jay?”

 

“Yeah, Sam forgot his phone. He and Cas already went back to Edmee’s.”

 

“Son of a bitch,” Dean said.

 

Jay heard the desperation slip into Dean’s voice and he was instantly on alert. He took the phone from his ear and tapped the speakerphone button. The look on his face had grabbed Luke and Gabriel’s attention.

 

“Dean, what's going on? Is everything OK?” Jay asked.

 

“Are you still with Gabriel?”

 

“Yeah, Dean, I'm here. What's wrong?” Gabriel asked with worry creeping into his voice as he walked closer to Jay.

 

Luke rose from his seat to follow Gabriel. They heard Dean let our a ragged breath.

 

“Ari’s in trouble. You guys need to get here. Now.”

 

“Where are you?” Gabriel demanded.

 

“In Hammond,” Dean said. They could all hear in his voice that something terrible had happened.

 

“You went to see Morpheus?!” Luke yelled angrily. 

 

“Wait! Morpheus? The god of dreams, Morpheus?!” Gabriel asked.

 

“Why?!” Jay spat out.

 

“There isn't time to explain! Just get here! You should be able to see me now, Gabe.” Dean said with urgency.

 

Gabriel paused for a moment.

 

“Got you!” he said, taking Jay and Luke by the shoulder.

 

With a rustle of wings and a loud pop in Jay and Luke's ears, the bunker faded away and Morpheus’ bar materialized around them. The sight before them made the new arrivals sick to their stomachs. Morpheus held Arianna in his lap, her body limp and slumped against him, while Dean and Shawn watched on either side as the god desperately tried to get his powers to work.

 

“Not again!” Luke whispered.

 

Dean looked up when he realized they were there. His worried eyes met Gabriel’s angry one’s first. Dean shoved his phone back in his pocket as the Archangel crossed the room and dropped to his knees in front of Morpheus. He took Arianna from his arms and carried her to the bar, gently laying her flat on top of it. The lights started to flicker as he turned to face the other men in the room.

 

“Someone better start talking,” he seethed as the Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling burst.

 

Jay and Luke were still as they stared at their sister’s almost lifeless body laying on the bar. Shawn stared at ground while his father looked at Gabriel with apologetic eyes. Dean stood up and started to cautiously approach the Archangel.

 

“You need to calm down, Gabriel. We can't fix this if you bring the building down around us,” Dean said, trying to keep his voice level.

 

Gabriel glared hard at Dean. “Then start explaining.”

 

After Dean explained everything that had happened, from the events in Akashic to them returning and finding out about Arianna’s lost necklace and Morpheus’ being too weak to bring her back, a tense silence hung in the room. Gabriel was a mix of anger, worry, and fear as he turned back to Arianna. He barely noticed when the others joined him at the bar.

 

“Is there anything you can do, Gabriel?” Luke asked.

 

“I don't know,” Gabriel answered honestly. “But I'm going to try.”

 

Gabriel closed the distance between him and Arianna and placed his hands on either side of her head. He closed his eyes as his hands began to glow with his grace.

 

“Come back to me, Ari,” he whispered.

 

 

* * *

 

Arianna stared awestruck at the Gabriel that stood before her. He took a rag from his back jeans pocket and wiped the blade of his long sword as he eyed her suspiciously. His black t-shirt was ripped in places, revealing a small area of his chest and stomach. Satisfied with the cleanliness of his sword, he returned the rag to his back pocket and stuck the sword in a sheath that hung from his hips. 

 

“Gabriel?” she whispered.

 

A smile crept across his face and the suspicion left his eyes before he started to walk towards her.

 

“Yes, but not your Gabriel,” he said as he extended a hand to her.

 

She hesitantly took it and let him help her to her feet, but as soon as she put weight on her legs, the gash in her side shot white-hot pain through her and she stumbled into him. He caught her with ease as he turned her body to look at her wound.

 

“Damn, he got you good,” he said as he guided her back to a sitting position on the ground.

 

He kneeled beside her and reached a hand in his front pocket and pulled out a small, blue, glass bottle capped with a cork, which he pulled opened with his mouth. 

 

“Here, drink this. It will heal you,” he said as he offered it to her.

 

She looked back and forth between him and the bottle skeptically. 

 

“Listen, I know you don't technically know me, but I love my Ari as much as your Gabriel loves you. I won't hurt you,” he said reassuringly.

 

Arianna tentatively took the bottle from his hand and drank its contents. She almost gagged as the foul taste of the liquid hit her tongue, but she squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to swallow. When the liquid was down her throat, she felt a cold sensation spread through her body. She looked down in time to see the gashes on her side quickly heal through the holes in her shirt, and when the wounds were gone she looked back to the Gabriel beside her.

 

“Better?” he asked.

 

“Uh..yeah..Thanks,” she stammered.

 

Gabriel snaked an arm around her waist and helped her to her feet as he stood. Once they were both standing, Gabriel paused as he stared into Arianna's eyes. He reached up with his free hand and gently ran the back of his fingers against her cheek. Arianna saw the pain flash through his whiskey eyes.

 

“You look just like her,” he whispered.

 

Gabriel quickly shook his head and released her. A smirk played across his face as he focused on her again.

 

“I was wondering when I would see you again. Though, I didn't expect you to come with the god of dreams when you can travel here yourself,” he said.

 

“Again?” she questioned.

 

“Yeah, we spotted you when you and your Gabriel dropped from the sky. We also felt the shock waves when he died in our world.”

 

“How much do you know?”

 

“We've seen bits and pieces through Michael. Mostly the big stuff: The rifts opening, the Nephilim, killing the other me, breaking into your world, getting his sword, killing your world’s Lucifer, you and the other me pulling him out of his sword. Kudos on that by the way. Pretty impressive for just coming into your powers minutes before. I'm guessing you have seen our graces floating around inside of him?”

 

“Yeah, that's kinda why I'm here.”

 

“Why not come here with your own power?”

 

“Sam and Dean Winchester stopped the Apocalypse in my world, and my keeper said that that threw off the timeline of how things were supposed to happen to me, so I don't really know how to use my powers at will yet. The only reason that stuff with Michael happened was because of the overload of emotion and Gabe helping me. I couldn't even heal my own wounds just now.”

 

“That's because of how you traveled here. Your physical body is still back where ever you started from. It’s basically just your spirit here. I don't understand though, why do you know your keeper?”

 

Arianna bit her lip. “I just met you, I mean, my Gabe recently.”

 

“Why didn't he find you years ago?”

 

“Um..my Gabriel was captured by Asmodeus before he had a chance. He held him captive for seven years before he was finally rescued and teamed up with the Winchester brothers.” 

 

“Oh,” he said 

 

“If you can see things through Michael, does that mean he can see things through you?” she asked, suddenly worried.

 

“No, we can see through him because he has part of us inside him. It’s a one way channel.”

 

A low growl rolled through the forest and Gabriel pulled his sword from its sheath. He gently took her by the arm and began leading her through the trees. His eyes darted in every direction as they walked at a fast pace. Within a few minutes they came upon a small cave opening. The entrance was hidden with a curtain of low lying branches and shrubbery. Gabriel took a quick look around and pulled back a corner of the leafy curtain and a glow from a fire peeked out through the opening. 

 

He quickly guided her inside with him, then closed the entrance behind them both. He released her arm to let her move about the cave. Her eyes followed the rock walls and over to the small fire that was in the middle. She felt her stomach churn and the color drain from her face as she saw the other occupant of the cave sitting on the ground with his back against the wall. Raphael sat sharpening his sword with a whetstone in the same vessel he had first taken in her world, the same one he had used when he captured her. She took in a ragged gasp as he looked up at them.

 

“I take it you found her.” Raphael said listlessly.

 

He dropped his eyes back to his blade as he continued to sharpen it. Gabriel had seen Arianna’s reaction to his brother. When she turned to look at him, she almost looked sick.

 

“Yeah, I found her. Would you mind doing a perimeter check while I talk to her?” Gabriel asked the other angel.

 

Raphael looked at his brother with annoyance, but stood up and walked towards them. Arianna pushed herself against the wall of the cave as he walked by them.

 

“Remember, Gabriel, she isn't your Arianna,” Raphael said, looking in Gabriel’s eyes as he exited the cave.

 

Gabriel looked at Arianna pressed up against the wall of the cave. She was slowly starting to regain her composure as the color came back to her cheeks.

 

“Are you OK?” he asked with concerned eyes on her.

 

“I'm fine,” she said, pulling away from the cave wall.

 

“I take it the Raphael in your world wasn't one of the good guys?”

 

“Furthest thing from it,” she said shortly. “But, from what I've heard, hardly any angels are the good guys in your world.”

 

“It wasn't always like that,” he said as pain flashed in his eyes again.

 

Gabriel walked to the other side of the cave to a pile of firewood and placed a couple pieces on the fire. As he did, Arianna noticed a silver ring on his left ring finger with Enochian sigils she had never seen before. After placing the wood on the fire, he picked up two large boulders big enough to sit on. He placed them near the fire and then pointed to one.

 

“Have a seat. I know you have questions I need to answer before your Gabriel pulls you out of here,” he said, and took a seat on one of the rocks.

 

“He can pull me out of here?”

 

“Yes, it may take him a minute to find you, but he won't give up until he does.”

 

Arianna walked over and sat down beside him.

 

“He doesn't exactly know I'm here,” she said with guilt lacing her voice as she stared into the fire. 

 

“I see. Don't worry, he'll forgive you. That may give us a little more time though, but, either way, ask whatever you need to, Arianna.”

 

She turned her head quickly and looked at him strangely.

 

“What?” he asked confused.

 

“It’s weird, you calling me Arianna. I think Gabe has used my whole name in normal conversation once since we met.”

 

Gabriel winced slightly. “Just trying to keep you and her separate in my mind.” 

 

“You really loved her, didn't you?”

 

Gabriel smiled at the memory of his Ari. “More than anything, and I still do.”

 

Arianna had had a list of questions in her mind before she came face to face with this other world’s Gabriel. But, now as she sat there looking at him trying to hide his pain with a smile, her mind went blank. Her heart broke for him, and she suddenly was mentally kicking herself for not telling her Gabriel where she really was. To say she was missing him now was a huge understatement.

 

“What happened to you guys? How did all this happen?” she finally managed to ask.

 

Gabriel took a deep breath and exhaled. “I guess I should start from the beginning. I met my Ari when I was posing as Loki. The god, Anansi, was running amuck, taking out my Tricksters and killing innocent people in the process. We ended up having to join forces to stop the bastard and somewhere along the line we fell in love. 

 

“While all that was going on, unbeknownst to any of us, Azazel was hunting down his chosen one to lead his demon army and let Lucifer out of his cage. Eventually, Ari and her brothers started to realize that demon activity was higher than they had ever seen it. But, unfortunately, it wasn't until Azazel had found his chosen one and broken the first seal that we really figured out what was going on. 

 

“When she asked me to help them stop the coming Apocalypse, I told her no. I had bailed on Heaven to avoid watching my brothers kill each other. I tried to talk her out of their insane plan of stopping the Apocalypse, but she wouldn't sway. I tried walking away, but by that point I was already in love with her, and I knew long before then that I would never be able to leave her side. I had spent so much time hiding, but she became my reason to fight. 

 

“However, she still didn't know for sure that I was Gabriel. She had started to become suspicious while we were dealing with Anansi, but with the seals breaking and the angels showing up, it got harder and harder to keep it from her. Of course, she eventually figured it out, and that is a whole story all in itself. The most important part is that she still stood by me even after finding out. 

 

“When the demons and their chosen one managed to let Lucifer out of his cage, it turned out that the chosen one was his true vessel, so he immediately possessed him, and Ari started showing signs of the Guardian's power. That wasn’t a fun conversation when I had to tell her what was going on, let me tell you.

 

“Together with her brothers, we discovered who was Michael’s true vessel and convinced him to go into hiding until we could find a way to stop everything. But, we were betrayed and Michael found him and forced him to say yes. My brothers fought and took out half the planet, and Ari’s powers erupted during the first punch.

 

“Once the fight was over and Michael stood victorious, he started killing innocent people. It was like the fight warped his mind. We found him and fought him, but we found out too late that when he had killed Luci, he took his grace. It gave him a burst of power, but it twisted him into something I didn't recognize anymore. After the initial boost in power wore off, he started searching for ways to become stronger. 

 

“He found the book of magic we originally used to lock the Darkness away, and he found a spell that would rip an Archangel in two at a cellular level. Knowing I would come running, he kidnapped Ari. Raphael went with me as back up, but Michael was waiting, and we were chained down before we knew what hit us. Turns out he needed the Guardian's blood to execute the spell. 

 

“He made me watch as he drained her blood almost to the point of killing her, and then he gave her to a demon. Once the demon brought her to hell, Michael locked and sealed the gates of hell so tight, nothing ever got out again. The spell Michael performed on us ripped out our grace and combined it with Ari’s blood. Michael absorbed our grace into him, but with it coated in Guardian blood and the spell, he was able to keep it in the form you saw it in. 

 

“However, in order to keep it that way, he had to keep us alive. We were practically human at this point, so he did another spell to keep us alive and we were sent here. He knew if Ari and I were in the same place one of us would eventually find a way to the other. We’ve tried to find a way to escape, but so far we haven't had any luck, and with Ari locked away in hell, she can't get to us either.”

 

Arianna was fighting back tears as he finished his story. He had laid everything out for her, and hadn't held back any of his emotion. She racked her brain for something to say, or a question to ask.

 

“So, you're both human?” It was the best question she could think of.

 

“Yes and no. We still have residual grace left in us, but it's not enough to do anything with. He had to leave us alive to keep us connected to him so our grace wouldn't meld with his.”

 

“He told me he killed your Arianna.”

 

“I'm sure he did. But, no, he left her alive. I don't know if she's still alive, though. With her being sealed away in hell and me being stuck here without my grace, I can't feel her anymore.”

 

“Could I get you out of here if I came here using my power?”

 

Gabriel thought for a moment. “I honestly don't know the answer to that. The Guardian is attached to the angels in her world. That's why she can resurrect them by pulling them from the Empty and bringing them here. I would say cosmic laws would prevent you from interacting with us like that.”

 

“Do you know how we can defeat Micheal, or at least weaken him?”

 

“That I do know. It’s still Archangel grace within him, so, an Archangel blade would still work. The only catch is you would have to kill him three times with it. The first time would rebound grace back to one of us, the second would send the others' grace, and the third and final time would kill Michael. Just so you know, an Archangel blade works in your hand against an Archangel.”

 

“Is that the only way?”

 

“The only way I know of.”

 

Arianna closed her eyes and hung her head in defeat.

 

“The Winchesters lost the only Archangel blade they had when my Gabe fought Michael and died,” she said as she raised her head to look at him again.

 

“If they only lost one, that means there are three more hidden somewhere in your world. You just have to find one. Trust your instincts, they will lead you to it.”

 

“I've got one more question,” Arianna said with a little hesitation.

 

“What's that?”

 

“How was Michael able to get the jump on you guys?”

 

Gabriel sighed and looked into the fire as he spoke.

 

“When Ari got her powers, life became ten times more dangerous than it had been before. In an effort to protect her brothers, and other people we loved, we separated ourselves from them and took on the fight on our own. Michael found out and he hunted down and killed every single one of them. Ari was devastated, and he used that against us. To this day I regret leaving Luke and Jay. We didn't realize it until it was too late, but all of us together made each other stronger. The Guardian's power is rooted in her emotion. We just didn't realize that the love we shared, not with just each other, but with our makeshift family of her brothers, some hunter friends, and the few of my brothers that stuck by me, was the heart of her powers. Please, don't make the same mistake we did. Keep Gabriel  _ and  _ your family close. Together is the only way you can win this fight.”

 

Arianna had tears running down her face. She was slowly starting to make the same mistake they had made. In an effort to protect the people she loved, she was pushing them away from her. Going off on her own with Dean was something she never would have done before all of this began. While she had accomplished her goal, thinking about what Dean, Morpheus, and more than likely, Gabriel and her brothers must be going through to bring her back, tore at her heart. 

 

“You’ve already started to make the same mistake haven't you?” he asked as he rested a hand on her shoulder.

 

Arianna nodded and wiped her tears away. Gabriel got to his knees beside her and put a hand on her other shoulder, turning her so she was facing him.

 

“You have time to fix it. From here on out, make sure you all stand together. That doesn't mean you can't divide and conquer, but keep a united front. No secrets either. But, don't throw every single last waking moment into stopping him. The fact of the matter is that you don't know how this is going to end. You don't want to get to the end and regret losing those normal moments you gave up. Fight as hard as you can, but take time to live. Have meals together, have fun together, take time for just you and your Gabriel. You will need those moments as much as you need research and skill in the end.” 

 

Arianna wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him into her to hug him. His hands dropped from her shoulders to his sides. She felt his hesitation at first, but he gave in and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He nestled his face into her hair and breathed into it.

 

“I will find a way to get you out of here so you can get back to your Ari,” she whispered through her tears.

 

Gabriel pulled away just enough to look at her.

 

“Don't worry about me, Arianna. Just focus on saving your world.”

 

The air around them became heavy and they could both feel another presence in the cave with them. Arianna smiled as she recognized the presence. Gabriel smiled as well.

 

“It seems your Gabriel has found you. Remember what we’ve talked about. Close your eyes and let him take hold of you,” he said.

 

Arianna closed her eyes and reached out with her mind to the presence in the room. She felt the safe and comforting warmth spread over her body as it wrapped around her. Gabriel placed a quick kiss on her forehead and reluctantly moved away from her. He watched as she slowly started to fade away, and then with a blink of his eye, she was gone.

 

 

* * *

 

Arianna took in a sharp ragged breath as she dropped back into her body. Her vision was hazy and her chest was painfully tight. She struggled to breathe and the sound of her heart hammered in her head. Her world slowly started to come into focus and with it her ability to hear and breathe. She finally saw Gabriel's face looming over her.

 

“Are you OK?” he asked with an unreadable tone.

 

Arianna quickly sat up and jumped off the bar. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. He hugged her tightly in return.

 

“I'm sorry,” she whispered.

 

Gabriel broke the hug and moved to stand beside her. She was met with angry but relieved faces of the other men in the room. She could see the questions in their eyes, and when her gaze fell on Luke, his anger exploded.

 

“Ari, what the actual fuck were you thinking!?” he yelled. “You could have died in there and don't even get me started on you lying to us! Me, you, and Jay don't do that! I will never not stand by you, Ari, but I’ll be damned if I'm going to let you get yourself killed because you are being reckless! I won't lose you again! I can't do it!”

 

Arianna rushed to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Startled by her reaction, he returned her hug slowly.

 

“I know and I'm sorry. I know now, together is the only way we survive this,” she said.

 

Arianna pulled away and looked at Morpheus and Dean.

 

“I'm sorry I put you two in the middle of this,” she said.

 

Morpheus grabbed her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

 

“I'm just glad you are alright!” he said as he released her.

 

Dean wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Ditto,” he said.

 

Arianna turned her eyes to Jay. He was mad and she knew later he would let her have it, but not right at that moment. She felt Gabriel’s eyes on her the entire time she was talking to the others. He had been silent other than asking her if she was OK. When she turned her eyes to him, she saw the anger in his honey whiskey orbs. Sensing the tension in the room, Morpheus broke the silence.

 

“Did you accomplish what you set out to do, Ari?” he asked cautiously.

 

Arianna tore her eyes from Gabriel’s to look at him.

 

“Yeah, I did,” she said.

 

“Then I think it would be a good idea if Gabriel goes to fetch Edmee and the others. All of us have a lot to talk about,” Morpheus said, looking around the room for the others’ approval.

 

They all nodded except for Gabriel. He closed the distance between himself and Arianna. He took her hand when he was next to her, his anger still burning in his eyes.

 

“I agree, we all need to talk. But, you are going to have to call Castiel to bring everyone here. Ari and I need to have our own conversation first,” he said calmly, hiding his anger. “I promise I will bring her back soon.” He turned to Luke. “We will be at the bunker.”

 

When Luke nodded, there was the rustle of wings and Gabriel and Arianna were gone.

 

 

* * *

 

Arianna opened her eyes and saw that she and Gabriel were standing in the middle of her room at the bunker. He released her hand and they stood there for a moment, looking into each others’ eyes. Arianna’s were full of guilt and Gabriel’s radiated anger. He suddenly broke their eye contact and stalked over to the couch, where he sat down, propping his arm on the armrest and letting his eyes fall on her again.

 

“Sit down, please,” he said in a calm even, monotone voice.

 

Arianna nodded and joined him on the couch. She sat with her knees to her chest so she could face him, wrapping her hands around her ankles. Gabriel stared at the floor in front of him.

 

“Gabe, I'm -” Arianna started.

 

He held up a hand to stop her. “Don't.”

 

He lowered his hand and turned his head to look at her.

 

“Do you know what would have happened to you in there in the form you were in?” he asked, keeping his voice calm.

 

“No.”

 

“Your spirit would have slowly dissolved, and you would have simply just ceased to exist. Your soul, your mind, they would just be gone, leaving behind your shell of a body here. Nothing would have been able to bring you back if that had happened.”

 

“Gabe, I had to do it, I had to take the risk. We needed to know what we are up against.”

 

“I'm not saying we didn't. But, you lied to everyone about it. You lied to me! You hid yourself from me!” The calm in Gabriel's voice was starting to fall away, letting his anger come through.

 

“I know I messed up.”

 

Gabriel took a breath to calm himself. “Do you remember that night you fought the Gahe for me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You made me promise you two things that night. To always be honest with you and to back off of the reckless behavior. I thought those promises went both ways, but apparently I was wrong. I don't know if you realize this, but I've put a lot of trust in you. I've put all of my heart into you. I will stand by you always, Ari, and I would do absolutely anything for you. But, this honesty thing has to go both ways. Same with the reckless shit. I understand what we have to deal with is going to require some risky decisions and doing things that put us in danger, but, you can't run off and do it in secret. I almost lost you today. Seeing you like that ripped at me worse than anything Asmodeus ever did to me.”

 

The anger in his eyes had been replaced with pain. Arianna felt tears stinging her own. She moved to sit on her knees and then crawled over to him and straddled his lap. She laced her fingers behind his neck and pressed her forehead to his. She felt his hands trace her legs from her ankles to her hips.

 

“I'm sorry I scared you, Gabe. I'm sorry I lied to you. I promise I’ll always be honest with you and that if anything reckless has to be done, I’ll take you and our small army along with me,” she said, trying to make him smile.

 

He ran his hands up to the small of her back and smiled. He pulled away just enough to look at her.

 

“Ari, I've never loved anything the way I love you. I don't want to lose you,” he said, moving a hand from her back to cup the side of her face.

 

She leaned in to his touch. “If I have anything to do about it, you won't. And I love you the same way.”

 

Gabriel gently pulled her face forward and caught her lips with his. He kissed her soft and slow as he laced his fingers through her hair with the hand that was on her face. His other hand pulled her body close. He broke the kiss and nuzzled his nose to hers. He let his hand fall from her hair to rest on her thigh.

 

“You know, I had all this stuff I wanted to say to you. and then you got in my lap and now I can't remember any of it,” he said with a smirk.

 

Arianna giggled. “Sorry, I missed you.”

 

The smile that was on her face faded away as she thought of Apocalypse World’s Gabriel and Arianna and felt a tear fall from her eye. Gabriel reached up and wiped it away.

 

“Hey, what's wrong?” he asked softly.

 

“I found the other world’s you, or rather he found me and saved my ass.”

 

“Did you get a chance to talk to him?”

 

“Yeah, he had time to tell me a lot of what happened. It’s bad, Gabe.” 

 

Arianna recalled her entire experience in Akashic to Gabriel in as much detail as she was able to remember. She could almost feel his stomach churn when she told him what Michael had done to become so strong, and what he had done to that world’s Arianna. When she was finished she watched his expression intently as she saw him go through the same emotions that she had. Gabriel ran a hand through his hair, then gripped her own that were laced behind his neck. 

 

“I knew it wasn't going to be good, but this, this is just sick. Ripping an angel apart the way he did, it’s like…” Gabriel paused as he tried to think of a way to explain it to her. “Imagine having your soul deep fried inside of you then having it ripped out of you piece by piece. I remember the last time that kind of magic was used. It was when we locked Amara away. It’s the kind of magic that created the mark of Cain. I remember dad wrote it all down because he wiped our memories of how to use it. He didn't want that type of magic falling into the wrong hands because it has a bad habit of twisting the user into something beyond evil. It went missing though, and we never could find it. I guess the Michael we are dealing with did in his world.”

 

“What about the other Archangel blades? If we have to kill him three times, then we need to find something to do that with.”

 

Gabriel took his hand from hers and rested it back on her thigh.

 

“The one we lost in Apocalypse World was mine. Asmodeus pulled where it was hidden from my head. I honestly don't know about the other three. The other me did say to trust your instincts and they would lead you to them,” he said.

 

Arianna scoffed. “Yeah, his Arianna knew how to use her powers too. All anyone can tell me is my powers are tied to my emotions. What, do I have to be pushed to the point of someone about to kill one of us to use them?! They don't help me if I can't control them.”

 

“It will come to you, Ari. You don't have to be in mortal danger to focus in on an emotion. If it makes you feel better though, I’ll teach you what I can. We’ll figure all this out. Edmee might be able to help track down the blades too.”

 

Arianna nodded and lowered her head to his shoulder. 

 

“What else are you thinking about?” Gabriel asked as he ran a hand through her hair.

 

“Do you think we could help them, too?”

 

“You mean the other me and you?”

 

“Yeah. You didn't see the look in his eyes when he talked about her. It was heart wrenching.”

 

“I can easily imagine what it looked like.”

 

Arianna raised her head to look at him. She felt his hand slide down her back to her waist.

 

“Do you think we could help them?” she asked again.

 

Gabriel sighed. “I don't know. We don't even know if she’s still alive. But, if It’s important to you, then we’ll see if there is anything we can do once we take care of Michael.”

 

Arianna smiled lovingly at him. “You really would do anything for me wouldn't you?”

 

“Without hesitation,” he said, returning her smile.

 

Arianna kissed him and then rested her forehead to his.

 

“I love you, Gabriel.”

 

“I love you too, Ari.”

 

Gabriel pulled away to look at her.

 

“I do have one question about today.”

 

“Okay?”

 

“Why did you lie about what you were doing in the first place? You should have known I would have been on your side. Not to mention, I know Morph, he and I go way back. He knew me when I was still pretending to be Loki.”

 

“When I had originally thought of this whole thing, I hadn't planned on actually going to Akashic. I just figured he could do his thing and tell us what kind of magic we were looking for. When he said he actually found Gabriel and Raphael, everything changed though.”

 

Gabriel smirked at her. “That's not what I asked.”

 

Arianna’s mouth dropped open and she started to fidget nervously. Gabriel laughed at her reaction to being busted and trying to skate around the question. 

 

“So, are you going to tell me?” he asked, looking at her expectantly.

 

“Okay, considering everything that happened today, It’s a really dumb reason. Morph’s son and I had a one night stand, and Luke being Luke ended up breaking his nose in the end.”

 

Gabriel laughed loudly. “Ari, I know you have a past. Though, I really think you could have done a whole lot better than Shawn. Morph is amazing, but his son is a disrespectful little prick that wouldn't know how to treat a woman even if they came with instruction manuals. I'm glad Luke broke his nose.”

 

“He’s a lousy lay too,” Arianna said with a disgusted look on her face. “He still insists on hitting on me every time he sees me, too. Dean even threatened to kick his ass today.”

 

Arianna saw a quick flash of anger and jealousy pass through Gabriel’s eyes, but he smiled at her.

 

“Okay, yeah, that would have pissed me off. But, it's not like I would have done anything crazy. I do respect his father. That, and it would have been more fun to show him he didn't have a chance in hell.” 

 

“You sound pretty confident in yourself.” Arianna gave him a challenging smile.

 

Gabriel smirked. “You could say that.”

 

He snapped his fingers and they were on her bed, Arianna on her back with Gabriel on top of her. His mouth was at her neck, nipping and sucking at the sensitive skin there. His hand slipped under her shirt and up her stomach to her breast. She moaned loudly when he rolled her nipple through her bra, and her hand flew to his, holding it in place.

 

“Gabriel! Gabriel, we can't,” she breathed.

 

“Why not?” he asked, running his nose along her neck up to her ear.

 

She fought to get her brain to work right when he sucked her earlobe into his mouth and bit down gently. He licked a long stripe back down to the crook of her neck.

 

“Everyone...everyone is waiting on us. We have to get back,” she managed to say.

 

“Ugh!” Gabriel raised his head to look at her. “You know, one of these days we aren't going to have the end of the world hanging over our heads and I'm going to whisk you…”

 

Arianna tangled her hands in his hair and pulled him to her, crushing their lips together. Apocalypse World Gabriel's words about making time for the two of them had resounded through her mind when her Gabriel had mentioned the end of the world. Arianna pulled her hands from his hair and slid them down his back. She starting pulling his shirt up his back. Gabriel broke the kiss to look down at her.

 

“You're killing me, Sugar. You just said..” 

 

Arianna placed a finger on his lips to silence him. The desire in his eyes melted into hers. She moved her hand to cup his face.

 

“I know what I said. I changed my mind. We have to make time for each other whenever we can. Make love to me, Gabriel.”

 

A smile swept across Gabriel’s face, lighting up the desire in his honey whiskey eyes. He pressed his lips to hers in a breathtakingly passionate kiss.

 

 

* * *

 

Morpheus passed out beers to the occupants sitting at his bar as he and Dean explained their parts in what had happened that day. Shortly after Gabriel and Arianna had left, Dean called Cas to have him bring himself, Sam, Remy, Jack, and Edmee to join him, Morpheus, Shawn, Jay, and Luke at the bar. Upon everyone's arrival, Morpheus had offered drinks to everyone.

 

Morpheus and Dean caught them up on what they knew had happened. Jay and Luke interjected here and there when they got to the point in the story where Dean had called Sam.

 

“Do we know what she saw over there?” Sam asked.

 

“No, not yet. It wasn’t long after Gabriel pulled her out that he said he needed to talk with her, and that he’d bring her back soon,” Luke replied. 

 

“Yeah, about that,” Jay said, looking at his brother questioningly, “Why are you so cool with it? You've tripped out every time he’s looked at her for almost three weeks, and now you're suddenly cool with him flying off with her? What's up with that?”

 

Luke shrugged. “Gabriel’s alright. I trust him with her,” he said nonchalantly, and took a sip of his beer.

 

All eyes went to Luke and they all wore the same look of shock on their face. Luke felt their stares and looked around at them.

 

“What?!” he said defensively. “I can't be friends with my sister’s boyfriend?”

 

Morpheus laughed loudly. “Well I'll be damned! Never thought I would hear Luke calling an angel a friend!”

 

“I think I'm more impressed with him admitting there is a relationship between them,” Remy said, joining in on Morpheus’ laughter.

 

Luke stared at the beer bottle in his hand. “We are all in a really fucked up situation right now, and somehow Ari has found herself right smack dab in the middle of it. Yet, through all the bull shit, the two of them have managed to carve out a little bit of happiness with each other while still kicking ass. Who the hell am I to stand in the way of that? After everything she’s been through, Ari deserves all the happiness she can get,” he said.

 

Everyone voiced and nodded their agreement.

 

“You know what I still don't get though? Shawn asked.

 

“Women,” came Arianna’s voice from behind the group.

 

Remy choked on his beer laughing, and he was the last of the group to turn around to see Gabriel and Arianna standing in the middle of the bar holding hands. Shawn glared at the pair and turned back around to nurse his beer.

 

“Damn, you two! I was starting to think you weren't coming back! Was the fight that bad?” Dean asked.

 

Gabriel and Arianna looked at each other and smiled.

 

“There wasn't a fight really. We talked, then we made up,“ Gabriel said, winking at Dean.

 

“Anyway!” Jay said, not wanting to continue on that particular subject, “Dean and Morph filled everyone in on most of what happened. We just need you to tell us what happened in Akashic so we can figure out what our next move is.”

 

The couple walked closer to the bar.

 

“Yes, I do need to tell you what happened over there, but after that, I think we need to take a break for tonight,” Arianna said.

 

She was surrounded by confused looks from everyone but Gabriel, who just smiled at her.

 

“Listen guys, I'm not saying we stop fighting. I'm saying we need a break before we all lose our minds. We haven't stopped since the day Luke, Jay, and I got to the bunker. I know losing Dylan was a tragedy and I would give anything to change that. But, we also got two huge wins that night. Not only did we get Dean back, but were also able to fully restore Gabriel’s grace. We deserve to celebrate just a little bit. We have nothing on Michael's whereabouts at the moment, and the fate of the world will still be in danger tomorrow. Tonight, let’s have something normal. Let’s have a little fun and just be together.” 

 

Sam raised his beer as a smile played across his face. “I’ll drink to that!”

 

“Here here,” Dean said as he raised his beer as well.

 

* * *

 

Gabriel watched the others from his barstool at the bar and leaned back to rest against it, smiling before he sipped his whiskey. All the tables in the room had been moved to one side in order to make room for the pool table he had conjured up for everyone to enjoy. Arianna, Sam, and Dean were teaching Jack how to play while Luke, Jay, Castiel, and Shawn were standing nearby, cheering the young nephilim on as he lined up to try and shoot for the eight ball. When he sunk the shot, they all cheered, and Arianna wrapped him in a hug. Dean and Sam looked proudly at him.  

 

There was music playing on the jukebox, and Remy danced Edmee around the room, both of them laughing. As they danced by Gabriel they both gave him a warm smile. Gabriel couldn't help but feel that for once in his life, he was exactly where he belonged.

 

“Nice feeling isn't it?” Morpheus said as he sat down next to him. He held a glass of bourbon in his hand and he raised it towards Gabriel’s, who lifted his to clink them together.

 

“What feeling?” Gabriel asked, taking a sip of his whiskey.

 

“Family, old friend, family. And I don't mean the family that you are used to. I'm talking about the kind of family you have right here. Family that loves you and will stand by you no matter what ugly storm you're staring down. This is what makes our long lives worth living.” Morpheus smiled as he took a drink.

 

Gabriel smiled as he looked back out into the room. Remy had started to waltz Arianna around the room and Edmee had taken up a pool stick. All the men in the room watched in awe as she sunk shot after shot. Hearing Arianna laugh as Remy dipped and spun her around made his smile grow even more. 

 

A break had been exactly what they all needed.

 

“It really is, Morph,” he said happily, keeping his eyes on Arianna.

 

“I dare say you've found something special with that girl,” Morpheus said.

 

Gabriel looked back to him.

 

“I think you may be right there,” he said smiling.

 

“Finding someone who doesn't want to use us for our power is hard enough, but to find someone who truly just wants to love and understand us? My friend, that is nearly impossible. There aren't many like us that ever find it. I remember when I first told my Clara who I really was. I took her to Madawaska Lake in Stockholm, Maine. It’s where the veil between worlds is the thinnest, and if you know how, you can peer not only into the different planes of existence, but into other worlds as well. I had taken her there and showed her what I could do, and I told her that I could take her anywhere she could possibly dream of, that we could call anywhere home. That amazing woman looked me straight in the eye and told me she didn't care about all that, because no matter where she was, as long as I was with her, it was home. In that instant I knew the rest of my existence would mean nothing without her in it, and that whatever storm came our way, we would get through it together, hand in hand. I asked her to be my wife then and there, and by some miracle she said yes.”

 

“That’s beautiful, Morph. Marriage is a pretty difficult thing for an Archangel though.”

 

“Difficult, but not impossible. Marriage isn't about some piece of paper that it has come to be associated with these days. It’s a life commitment between two beings who can't imagine their lives without each other. It’s making a vow to each other that your love will never end, and that you will always stand together.” Morpheus gestured toward Sam and Dean. “Besides, the whole idea of a rule book got thrown out the metaphorical window when those two boys over there stopped the Apocalypse.”

 

Gabriel laughed and nodded his head. “It’s not like we ever played by the rules even when there was a rule book.”

 

Morpheus laughed loudly. “Ain't that the truth!”

 

Gabriel looked over in time to see Shawn trying to cut in on Remy’s dance with Arianna. He had her by the wrist, trying to pull her away, and he saw the overprotective big brother switch flip on in Remy at the annoyed look on his lover’s face.

 

Morpheus, seeing the exchange as well, looked at his half-full glass of bourbon. “Well, would ya look at that, seems like I need a refill. I’ll have to go to the back to get some more,” Morpheus said as he rose from his seat.

 

He winked at Gabriel as he made his way past him, whistling as he disappeared into the back room. Taking the wink as permission, Gabriel rose from his seat and crossed the room to where Shawn, Remy, and Arianna stood.

 

“Shawn, let me go!” Arianna said angrily.

 

She smiled when she saw Gabriel come to stand beside Shawn. Gabriel placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed. All eyes in the room were on them as Shawn winced and his face contorted in pain. He released Arianna's wrist and clasped his hand over Gabriel’s.

 

“I believe the lady told you no, Shawn,” Gabriel said, his voice eerily calm.

 

Shawn met Gabriel’s eyes as his knees began to buckle. Gabriel then leaned in close to his ear, keeping his voice low and quiet as he spoke. “Let me be crystal clear about this. If you ever make that look come across her face, or if you disrespect her in anyway, ever again, I promise you that I will make you regret the day you met her.” 

 

Shawn quickly nodded, and Gabriel released his shoulder.

 

“Sorry,” Shawn muttered as he stood back up.

 

“Besides, that’s not how you ask a lady to dance.” Gabriel held his hand out to Arianna. “May I have this dance, Sugar?” he asked with a beaming smile at her.

 

Arianna returned his smile and slipped her hand into his.

 

“Absolutely.”

 

Gabriel pulled her to him and began waltzing with her around the room. As he was spinning her around he caught Luke watching them with a smile on his face. When Luke realized Gabriel had seen him his smile grew, and he raised his beer to the Archangel with a single nod of his head.

 

It wasn't long after that that Edmee pulled out her camera. She made sure to capture as many happy moments as she could so that they could all remember that night. The dark clouds of their uncertain future may have been looming over them, but for that moment, they would enjoy the calm before the storm.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! I really hope you are enjoying the story!


	5. Caves, Crypts, and Heart Eaters, Oh My!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the Lawson twins go in search of an Archangel blade with Gabriel and Castiel, Arianna and the Winchester brothers go on a routine werewolf hunt. 
> 
> But they all quickly realize nothing is as easy as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder...
> 
> Cher= Louisiana Cajun French term meaning darling, dear, or sweetheart.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, smut at the end of the chapter.

**Chapter 5: Caves, Crypts, and Heart Eaters, Oh My!**

 

Joel Harris was a thirty year old customer service representative from Apopka, Florida. He was a plain looking man with short, chocolate brown hair and eyes of the same shade. He maintained a runner's body and had a sharp, organized mind. He worked a regular eight-to-five job in a small, cookie cutter cubicle in a large eight-story office building.

 

His routine was the same every day. He was up at five every morning and changed into workout clothes for his morning run. By six he was back at his one bedroom apartment for a shower, and thirty minutes later he shaved, got dressed, and ate two slices of toast along with two scrambled eggs for breakfast. As he ate he read the news from an app on his cellphone until seven, then left for work.

 

He always arrived to work promptly at 7:30, where he would make his way to the break room to enjoy a cup of black coffee for the next twenty minutes. A five minute walk to his cubicle followed before he started his work shift; which was where he stayed until he walked back to his car and drove home.

 

Only after walking through the front door of his home would he relax. He’d make dinner and enjoy a beer while he ate, then chose a book to read until he went to bed. He read to escape, to let his imagination run wild as he hungrily devoured books full of action and adventure, page after page of tales about monsters and dragons. He knew they weren’t real, of course, but he always liked to secretly dream about being the hero who would save the world from such fantastical creatures to get the girl in the end.

 

He dreamt most nights of the adventures he desperately wished he could have.

 

However, one night the dream he had was a little different. He was walking around a large, empty room absent of any doors or windows. The walls were covered in plain sky-blue wallpaper and the floor was pristine white marble, and he noted how strangely they contrasted one other.

 

As he observed the unusual pairing of the decour, he felt another presence join him in the room. He looked around, and took a step back when his eyes landed on a startling sight. Standing before him, wearing the same dark blue suit he had been buried in, was his late father. He looked the same, hair gray from age, eyes the same shade as his own, and they just stared at him.

 

“Dad?” Joel questioned cautiously.

 

His father smiled warmly at him.

 

“Oh no, my boy.”

 

The man that looked like his father gestured toward himself.

 

“This is just the form that you find most comforting. I did not want to scare you and I need you to trust me.”

 

Joel furrowed his brow at the man.

 

“Who are you then? Why do you need me to trust you?” he asked skeptically.

 

“My name is Michael. I am an angel and I need your help.”

 

Joel glanced around and behind him to make sure he was the one this vision of his father was talking to. When he turned back to him he pointed to himself.

 

“You need my help? I've had some weird dreams before, but this one takes the cake.”

 

Michael smiled once more.

 

“I assure you, while this may be a dream, it is completely real. I need your help in cleansing this world. I have a mission to rid the world of sin, but I need your help to do it. There is a small group of people who plan on trying to stop me, but, with your help I can win.”

 

Joel crossed his arms over his chest.

 

“How am I supposed to help with that?!”

 

“You just have to say yes. I can give you the adventure you dream of. You will be the hero in this story.”

 

Michael walked across the room and stood behind him. He put his hands on his shoulders and leaned in close to his ear.

 

“What have you got to lose, Joel? If this is just a dream, then you wake up tomorrow morning and go back to your boring job and boring life. But, if it isn't a dream, you go on the adventure of a lifetime and save the world in the process.”

 

Joel thought about what the so-called angel was telling him. He did have a point. What did he have to lose? He figured he might as well ride this dream out, and it was, after all, much better than the mundane, lonely life that awaited him when he awoke the next day.

 

“Ok, sure, I'll help you. What do I need to do?” he asked.

 

A bone chilling smile spread across Michael’s face that Joel didn't see.

 

“Just say ‘yes’, my boy.”

 

Joel took a deep breath.

 

“Yes,” he said as he exhaled.

 

* * *

 

 

The morning after their night at Morpheus’ bar, the group of hunters and angels returned to the bunker. Three weeks passed, and everyone learned all the details of Arianna’s visit to Akashic, their new mission on tracking down another Archangel blade, and how they needed to be on the lookout for any signs of Michael taking a new vessel.

 

Gabriel also did his best to help Arianna master her new powers. They spent many hours in the bunker’s dungeon, but didn’t make much progress. She managed to use her abilities to knock things over, but not with anywhere near as much force as she had the night she faced Michael, and her healing skills were also lacking.

 

The couple helped the others with their research when they were not training. A few leads were discovered, but each one led to a dead end. Even if Michael had found a new vessel, he wasn’t going to let anyone know about it, and the Archangels of their world had hidden their blades well.   

 

Late one night, Arianna found a very promising lead on a location for two of the blades. However, one was in an underground crypt in Ireland while the other was on an island in some unknown location in the Pacific Ocean. After a conversation that seem to take forever on who would stay and go, they decided that Castiel and Jay would go to Ireland and Gabriel and Luke would head to the ocean. Jack would go to Edmee’s so she could try to find a way to recharge his Nephilim grace, and those who remained would stay in the bunker to continue the search for Michael.

 

The next morning after everyone had left, Dean and Sam sat in the kitchen, each with a cup of coffee and a laptop open in front of them on the table, searching for any news stories that seemed suspicious. Dean took a piece of bacon from the plate that was piled high between them as Arianna walked into the room.

 

Arianna looked like she had just rolled out of bed where she hadn't slept very well. Her hair was still a mess and the black tank top and grey fabric shorts she wore were slightly wrinkled from tossing and turning. She quietly made her way to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup of coffee.

 

“Good morning,” Dean said, looking up at her from his laptop.

 

Sam also looked up and smiled.

 

“Morning, Ari. How did you sleep?” he said.

 

Arianna grumbled a good morning to them as she sat down at the table across from them.

 

“I take it you didn't sleep so well?” Sam asked, taking in her appearance.

 

“No, Gabe and I were in the dungeon until three this morning. When we finally laid down at 3:30, Luke was banging on the door wanting to get going,” Arianna said.

 

“They already left? I wondered why it was so quiet here this morning,” Dean said taking another piece of bacon.

 

“Why did they leave so early?” Sam asked.

 

“Luke said he wanted to get it done as soon as possible so they could get back and Gabe agreed with him,” Arianna explained. “So, you guys find anything interesting this morning?”

 

“Not really. The only thing remotely close is this missing persons bulletin,” Sam said and turned his laptop towards her.

 

On his laptop an article displayed the story of a missing man named Joel Harris, who had went missing from a central Florida town three days prior.

 

“It doesn't sound like it’s our kind of thing, though. I did a little digging, and the day he went missing he cleared out his bank account. His car is missing too, it sounds like he made himself disappear. I've bookmarked the page just in case, but I don't think we will hear anything more about it,” Sam finished explaining.

 

Arianna studied the details on the page as Sam talked. Her eyes trailed down to the bottom of the page where she saw a link to another article that peaked her interest. The link read: Woman Found Missing Heart.

 

“Hey, are we in the right lunar cycle for a werewolf?” she asked, looking up at Sam and Dean.

 

Sam thought about it for a moment.

 

“Yeah, actually we are. Why, did you see something?” he asked.

 

“I think so,” she said as she clicked on the link.

 

She skimmed over the article before she turned the laptop around so the boys could see it.

 

“It says here that they found a woman maimed and her heart ripped out. They are calling it an animal attack, but the chick was found in her bedroom. There have also been two other women found the same way. All three murders took place within a week. Now, either Smokey the Bear has learned how to break into houses or they’ve got a werewolf on their hands,” Arianna said as they skimmed the article themselves.

 

“We could make a call and get another hunter to check it out,” Dean said, pulling out his cell phone from his pocket.

 

Arianna’s eyes widened.

 

“No! We should go check it out! It's only like three hours away!” she said.

 

“We’ve already got a lot on our plate, Ari,” Sam said, trying to sound reasonable.

 

“And if it doesn't have to do with angels or Michael, I don't see how it deals with us at the moment,” Dean said.

 

“Come on, guys! We are just spinning our wheels here! Let's get out there and do what we do! Let’s go help some people while Luke, Jay, Cas, and Gabe are off playing Raiders of the Lost Ark! It’s not like we can't bring our laptops with us and keep an eye out for anymore craziness,” Arianna practically begged.

 

Sam and Dean looked at each other and then back to her.

 

“I don't know, Ari. The last time I went somewhere with you, you ended up getting yourself stuck in another plane of existence,” Dean said.

 

Arianna put a hand over her heart.

 

“I promise not to do anything crazy this time, and I’ll call both my brothers and Gabe to let them know what we are doing.”

 

Sam and Dean shared another soulful look, silently agreeing with each other. They both sighed as they looked back at her.

 

“Alright, let's go gank us a werewolf,” Dean said.

 

Arianna jumped up from her seat excitedly and ran around the table to hug Dean. She quickly placed a kiss on his cheek and then made her way out of the kitchen to her bedroom to get ready for the hunt.

 

“She seems really excited over a werewolf hunt,” Dean said, rubbing his cheek where she had kissed him.

 

Sam shrugged as he shut his laptop.

 

“I'm sure she just wants to do something she knows she can accomplish,” Sam said.

 

Dean raised an eyebrow and looked at his brother quizzically.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Gabe said she's having problems getting her Guardian powers to work at will. She’s managed to knock some stuff over, but not with any kind of force, and she hasn't even been able to heal something as small as a papercut. He said she's starting to get really frustrated with it, and there isn't a whole lot he can do but talk her through it. They may have some of the same abilities, but her’s work completely different from his,” Sam explained.

 

“I thought her powers were supposed to come to her instinctively?”

 

“They were, but Edmee said the timeline for how all this was supposed to go was torn to shreds, remember? She shouldn't have been able to bring Gabe back when she did, but it happened. I think she's just letting the severity of our situation get to her, and it’s blocking her somehow. But, I'm sure she will get the hang of it.”

 

Dean shut his laptop and finished off the rest of the coffee in his cup.

 

“Let’s just hope she gets the hang of it before we run into Michael again,” he said as he stood up from the table. “We better get a move on, because I bet that she’s already in the garage waiting for us judging by how excited she was.”

 

* * *

 

 

After running into a few issues, Gabriel and Luke had made their way to Edmee’s for her help in breaking a few of the warding spells around the island they were supposed to go to so Gabriel could teleport himself and Luke inside safely. Edmee already knew why they were there and ushered Gabriel off with her so they could take care of things quickly.

 

Luke walked aimlessly around in the living room while he waited, and pulled his phone out of his pocket when he heard a phone start to ring. When he found that it wasn’t his, he looked around the room and saw the phone Arianna had given Gabriel on the coffee table. He made his way towards it and saw that the screen was lit up with the name “Ari” and that it was the source of the ringing. He picked up the phone and tapped the answer icon.

 

“Hey, sis!” he said after putting the phone to his ear.

 

“Luke? Where’s Gabe?” Arianna asked.

 

“We needed Edmee’s help breaking some warding around the island so we could get in, and he’s helping her with it.”

 

“Oh...ok.”

 

“Don't worry, Ari. Your boyfriend and I are getting along just fine.”

 

Arianna was silent for a moment.

 

“Um yeah….anyway..” she started.

 

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked when he heard the uncertainty in her voice.

 

“Nothing, Luke. It’s nothing.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yes, I'm sure. Listen, the reason why I'm calling is because I wanted to let you guys know I'm going on a hunt with Sam and Dean.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because we are hunters,” She said, letting her annoyance in the question show.

 

Luke shook his head and sighed.

 

“What are you hunting?” he asked, deciding not to argue with her, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

 

“Just a routine werewolf case about three hours from the bunker. It shouldn't take us long to find it.”

 

“Where exactly are you going?”

 

“Lincoln, Nebraska.”

 

“Sam and Dean are both going with you?”

 

“Oh my God, yes! Both Sam and Dean are going!”

 

“Did you tell Jay?”

 

“I left him a voicemail. He’s already out of cell reception.”

 

“Alright, please be careful, and thank you for calling and letting us know.”

 

“You know I’ll be careful and you're welcome. You guys be careful too, and one of you better call me as soon as you get back in cell reception.”

 

“Will do, sis. Love ya.”

 

“Love you too.”

 

Luke hung up the phone and placed it back on the coffee table. He knew his sister could take care of herself, but he couldn't help but worry about her. Nothing in their lives was routine anymore, and he felt like Arianna saying it was a bad omen. He was also still thinking about the uncertainty in her voice at the beginning of their conversation. He couldn't figure out what had caused it because he knew it wasn't because of the hunt.

 

He shook his head to try and clear his mind. He knew he couldn't afford to get caught up in those thoughts at the moment. He glanced at his watch on his wrist and huffed as he walked down the hallway in search of Edmee and Gabriel. They had a lot to do and they needed to get going.

 

* * *

 

 

Dean smiled to himself as he sat behind the wheel of the Impala with one hand on the wheel while resting one arm on the edge of the open window to his left. He hadn't realized how much he needed the freedom of the open road until he had pulled onto the interstate and pressed his foot down on the gas pedal. The purr of his Baby’s engine and the music of the classic rock station on the radio was like his own brand of therapy. Glancing at his brother to his right, then at Ari in the middle of the backset, he frowned and shook his head when he noticed that they obviously weren’t enjoying it as much as he was.

 

They both had their eyes locked on their phone screens, wearing looks of concentration as they studied police reports and case files that Sam had downloaded after he hacked into the police station’s database. Sam was jotting down a couple things he deemed important on a small notepad and Arianna kept absentmindedly tugging on the ends of the short sleeves of the black shirt she wore as she read.

 

“So get this, guys,” Sam said, breaking the silence.

 

Arianna lowered her phone to look at Sam and Dean glanced back and forth between his brother and the road.

 

“It looks like our werewolf has a type. All three women were blonde with blue eyes, between five-foot-one and five-foot-three, and around 120 to 130 pounds,” Sam said.

 

“It looks like they all visited a bar called the White Wolf the night they died. Coroners report hasn’t been released on any of the bodies yet either, which is weird,” Arianna added. “I’ve emailed both the coroner and the bar owner, and the sheriff too. Got appointments with all three once we get there.”

 

Sam and Dean shared a look.

 

“You emailed them?” Dean asked.

 

“Yeah, Jay has a few emails set up for a few of our FBI aliases that look like they came straight out of DC, and we’ve found that it helps us move quicker with an investigation if they are expecting us,” Arianna explained.

 

“Why didn't I ever think of that?” Sam asked, shaking his head.

 

Arianna laughed. “I’ll have him set you up with the program he used once we get back ho…to the bunker.”

 

Sam and Dean shared another look.

 

“Ya know, Ari, you can call it home. It’s cool with us. You guys welcomed us into your home with open arms, and it feels like a second home to us now. We hope the bunker can be a second home to you and your brothers as well,” Sam said.

 

“Really?” Arianna asked, a little astonished.

 

“Absolutely! If you guys think you are getting rid of us after all this is said and done you're crazy. You guys are family now,” Dean said.

 

Arianna smiled gratefully.

 

“Thanks guys.”

 

Both Winchesters smiled and nodded.

 

“Did you talk to your brothers and your boyfriend?” Dean asked.

 

He saw a look cross her face when he said the word ‘'boyfriend” that he couldn't quite place. Worry? Uncertainty? Doubt? He wasn't sure, but she quickly recovered and wiped the look from her face as she answered his question like the mood in the Impala hadn't altered at all.

 

“I called Gabe and got Luke. They had to get Edmee to help them with breaking some warding and Gabe was helping her. I left Jay a voicemail. He and Cas were already out of cell service by the time I called. Gabe texted me right before we left and said they were heading to the island,” she said.

 

“Do you think they will have any luck?” Sam asked.

 

“Gabe and Cas think so. They both agreed that the warding around both places were too strong for it to be nothing,” Arianna said.

 

“Hopefully we hear news from them soon. I don't like not having a way to contact them,” Dean said.

 

“I don't either, but worse comes to worse, Gabe and Cas can still hear us if we pray to them,” Arianna said.

 

“Hopefully we won't have to do that,” Sam said.

 

* * *

 

 

A few hours later, Sam and Dean went to their scheduled appointment with Sheriff Paul Whitaker. He looked up at the brothers with a smile as they entered the office in full FBI attire. He was a middle-aged man with hazel eyes and salt and pepper hair. He still had an athletic body even though the worry lines in his face gave away his age. The simple office had a large desk with a computer and a stack of case files in one corner. In front of the desk there were two wooden chairs placed next to each other, and the walls displayed a few framed certificates.

 

“What can I do for you gentleman?” he asked.

 

Sam and Dean both flashed their badges.

 

“Sheriff Whitaker, I'm Agent Page,” Sam said. “This is my partner Agent Plant.” He gestured toward Dean. “We would like to talk to you about the recent animal attacks in town.”

 

Sheriff Whitaker leaned back in his chair as he took in the boys in front of him.

 

“Yeah, I've been expecting you. Your other partner, Agent Elliot, emailed me earlier this morning and set up a time. Don't know why the FBI is interested in a few animal attacks.”

 

Sam and Dean took a seat in the chairs in front of the desk.

 

“We just have to keep all of our bases covered. We’ve had a few similar cases that turned out to be something way worse than just an animal attack,” Dean said.

 

“Any information you can give us will be helpful, Sheriff,” Sam said.

 

Sheriff Whitaker looked at the boys suspiciously.

 

“There isn't much to tell agents. We found all three women all over their bedrooms. They had been torn to shreds by whatever animal did this. I've been on the force for twenty years and I've never seen anything that bloody before. The only weird part is the fact that their hearts are the only organ unaccounted for.”

 

“Did the women have anything in common?” Dean asked.

 

“Other than appearance, they all lived on the same street, and they all frequented a local bar. The bar's called White Wolf. I can get you in touch with the owner if you like,” Whitaker answered.

 

“No, thank you. Our partner already set up a meeting with the owner, and a meeting with the coroner. Is there anything about any of the three cases that kinda stuck out to you?” Sam asked.

 

Whitaker sighed and looked around the room, then he sat up and leaned across his desk. When he spoke, he spoke in a low voice.

 

“Listen agents, I don't need a full blown panic on my hands, so keep this under your hats. Cora Winters, the last victim, made a 911 call before she was attacked. She was going on about hearing something flying above her head, and right before the call went dead she screamed about long claws and huge bat wings.”

 

Sam and Dean glanced at each other in disbelief.

 

“I'm sorry, what?!” Dean said.

 

“I know it sounds crazy, and you're more than welcome to listen to the call if you like. But, Mason Phillips, the bar owner, said that Cora was pretty drunk when she left that night. She probably was just hallucinating,” Whitaker said.

 

Both brothers were at a loss for words from hearing this unexpected information. They both took our their phones when they vibrated in their pockets to find a text message from Arianna that read:

 

_I don’t think this is what we thought. Get to the morgue. NOW!_

 

* * *

 

What was left of Cora Winters’ body was laying on a table in the morgue. While most of the blood had been cleared away by previous examinations, any facial features had been clawed away. There was still blood staining her long blonde hair and her chest cavity and stomach had been completely ripped open. Arianna stood over her body, a scrub gown covering her FBI attire. She compared what she was seeing to a file folder displayed on the tray next to her while she sifted through the chest cavity with gloved hands and scalpel.

 

When she heard the door to the morgue open she looked up to see Sam and Dean enter the room. They each grabbed a scrub gown from a wall hook near the door and put them on before they walked over to her. They grimaced slightly at the state of the body in front of them.

 

“That definitely doesn't look like a werewolf kill,” Dean said.

 

“No it doesn't. She’s been completely ripped apart from the waist up. They had to identify her through dental records. All her organs are shredded, and the only thing that's missing is her heart. There is no trace of it here or at the crime scene and her ribs and sternum are in pieces throughout this mess,” Arianna said.

 

“Geez this is beyond overkill,” Sam said as he peered at the body where Arianna was moving the scalpel.

 

“That's not all either,” Arianna said.

 

She took off her blood covered gloves and threw them away in the biohazard bin next to her. She walked over to a counter that ran along the wall and picked up a medium-sized blue plastic container. She took the lid off and walked back to Sam and Dean, handing Sam the open receptacle. They looked inside to see a six-inch curved black claw. It was razor sharp, and had the thickness of a tube of lipstick.

 

“The coroner said she pulled this out of the chest cavity when the police first brought this body to her. The other two were in the same condition as this poor girl but there was no claws left behind. She told the Sheriff, but he just chalked it up to the fact that they were all attacked by an animal. But of course, we know better,” Arianna said as Sam and Dean examined the claw.

 

“What the hell is this from?!” Dean asked, looking back to her.

 

“I'm not entirely sure, but I remember Remy encountered something like it about a year ago in New Jersey. He told my brothers about it one time at Edmee’s. I called him but I got his voicemail. Just waiting to hear back from him now,” Arianna tried to explain.

 

“The Sheriff mentioned there was a 911 from Cora, and she was screaming about hearing thid thing flying above her head, and something about claws and huge bat wings before the call went dead,” Sam said.

 

“The bar owner told the police that when she left the bar that she was really drunk. They think she was just seeing things,” Dean said

 

Arianna glanced at the clock on the wall.

 

“Well, it's about time for us to go talk to him anyway. Hopefully he can shed some light on Cora’s final hours,” she said as she took off her scrub gown and threw it in the biohazard container.

 

* * *

 

 

Deep in the heart of the island, Gabriel and Luke emerged from the jungle and saw the opening of a large cave. They had trekked through the dense, tangled vegetation for hours and had hacked through the underbrush with machetes. Luke’s shirt was drenched with sweat and his jacket was tied around his waist. He panted heavily as he downed a entire bottle of water that he had stored away in his pocket. He glanced at Gabriel, envious of how the archangel looked as if he had only just taken a leisurely stroll through a park. He leaned against a palm tree and watched as Gabriel inspected the cave’s entrance and the ground at its threshold. Luke was just getting his breathing under control when Gabriel turned to look at him.

 

“I think this may be it. The warding around this place is insane. I can't even walk inside,” Gabriel said.

 

“Oh thank God,” Luke said as he wiped sweat from his brow.

 

“Yeah, he had nothing to do with it. Trust me,” Gabriel said with a smirk. “Do you still have the stuff Edmee mixed up for us?”

 

Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brown fabric bag with a drawstring that cinched it closed. He pushed himself off the tree and walked over to Gabriel, who opened the bag after taking it from him. Luke watched as he spread the black powder inside from one end of the cave’s opening to the other. When he finished, the black powder caught on fire at one end and continued to ignite painfully slowly down the rest of the the line.

 

“Did she say how long this would take?” Luke asked.

 

“Unfortunately she said it could take a few hours,” Gabriel answered, turning back to him.

 

“I'm actually ok with that right now,” Luke said.

 

He turned and made his way back over to the palm tree he had previously leaned on and resumed his position, but after a couple seconds, he slid down into a sitting position. Gabriel stifled a laugh as he went to sit next to him, leaning his back against a palm tree as well.

 

“You look like hell,” Gabriel remarked, looking at Luke’s exhausted form.

 

Luke glared at him.

 

“Well, not all of us can be Archangels,” he said sarcastically.

 

Gabriel snapped his fingers and a bottle of water appeared in Luke’s hand. Luke twisted the cap off of the water and drank the whole bottle.

 

“Thanks,” he said with genuine appreciation.

 

“You're welcome.”

 

There was silence between them as they both watched the slow progress of the flame. Luke tilted his head back against his palm tree and sighed.

 

“How do you think the werewolf hunt is going?” Luke asked, tired of the silence.

 

“I'm sure it’s fine. Ari, Sam, and Dean should have it wrapped up in no time, and they’ll be back at the bunker before we will.”

 

“I still can't believe she talked Sam and Dean into going on a hunt that has nothing to do with Michael. Sometimes, I swear that girl could sell ice to an Eskimo,” Luke said with a small smile.

 

“That’s your sister,” Gabriel said with a smile as well.

 

Luke laughed. “Yeah, but she’s your girlfriend. I imagine you're in the line of fire more than any of us.”

 

“Hmm...girlfriend,” Gabriel said, mulling the word over in his mind. “I haven't called her that yet.”

 

Luke’s smile dropped from his face as he snapped his head in Gabriel’s direction.

 

“Wait...what?! You two haven't had that conversation?” Luke asked with eyes wide and full of disbelief.

 

Gabriel returned his disbelief with confusion.

 

“What conversation?” he asked.

 

“The whole defining the relationship conversation!” Luke’s expression hadn't changed.

 

“I told her I love her and showed her the true form of my wings,” Gabriel said, a little unsure of what else Luke could have meant.

 

“She’s seen your…? Nevermind, so you're telling me the two of you haven't sat down and actually decided if you're in a relationship or not?”

 

“Well, we haven't actually said the words, but what else do you call it? I assumed it was understood.”

 

Luke's mouth dropped open.

 

“Dude!! No!! Oh that explains so much!” he said, rubbing his face with his hand.

 

The confusion on Gabriel’s face deepened.

 

“What?! What does it explain?” he demanded.

 

“Earlier when I talked to Ari on the phone, I called you her boyfriend and she acted like I smacked her, and I couldn't figure out why until now. She’s in her own head about this because she doesn't know exactly where you stand on what’s between the two of you.”

 

“How could she not know?! It’s not like I've held anything back from her?!”

 

“Dude, how many relationships have you been in with a human, actually scratch that, how many relationships have you been in period?”

 

“Honest to goodness relationships? None, really. I mean Kali was more than just sex, but it never really amounted to anything.”

 

Luke’s mouth dropped again.

 

“Kali?! Goddess of Death?!” he said in a strangled voice.

 

“Yes,” Gabriel said matter of factly.

 

“But, she’s got like six... Nevermind, I get it,” Luke said, shaking his head.

 

“What does that have to do with Ari?” Gabriel asked.

 

“Ok, I understand the type of women you are used to are porn chicks, and the weird girls who like to throw themselves at demigods. They’re only in it for what they can get, and aren't really interested in a future with the people they are using. But, a real woman like Ari, they will give the right guy everything in their heart, but they need to know they aren't wasting their time. They need to know they are building towards something,” Luke explained.

 

“I thought I had made it clear about how I felt for her. Why hasn't she said anything?” Gabriel said defensively.

 

“Knowing Ari, probably because she feels like it would be selfish of her to bring it up with everything we have going on. That, and Ari isn't exactly the best at relationships either. The last time she called someone her boyfriend was when she was sixteen, and she dumped him shortly after our parents died. She’s pretty much shied away from the whole concept until you. Truth be told, she's probably freaking the hell out, though she’d never admit it. I’m sure she’s overanalyzed the whole Archangel thing in her head, and is freaking out about that too.”

 

Gabriel sighed and leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree behind him.

 

“Relationships are complicated,” he said, staring at the sky.

 

“Without a doubt. The key is finding someone worth going through all the ups and downs with,” Luke said.

 

Gabriel looked back to Luke.

 

“She’s more than worth it.”

 

Luke put a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder.

 

“Then she needs to hear the words,” he said.

 

Gabriel sighed again and nodded

 

“I’ll talk to her when we get back,” he said, and leaned his head against his palm tree again.

 

Luke dropped his hand and leaned his head, copying Gabriel’s actions. He thought about the conversation he had just had and started laughing. Gabriel looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

 

“What are you laughing at?” Gabriel asked.

 

When Luke had calmed his laughter he looked at Gabriel and smiled.

 

“If someone would have told me two months ago that I would be sitting against a palm tree giving an Archangel relationship advice pertaining to my sister, I probably would have shot them.”

 

Gabriel laughed. “Aww, come on, I’m not that bad!” he joked.

 

“No, you're not. I never in a million years thought I would say this, but I'm really glad I can call you a friend,” Luke said sincerely.

 

The shock on Gabriel’s face was apparent, but he managed to pull it into a smile.

 

“Likewise,” he said.

 

“I’ll still kill you if you hurt my sister,” Luke said with a sincere but joking tone.

 

Gabriel chuckled. “I’m well aware. I won't hurt her though.”

 

Luke smiled and looked up to the sky.

 

“I know,” he said.

 

* * *

 

 

The moment Dean started the Impala’s engine, Arianna’s phone rang. She quickly pulled it out of her suit pant’s pocket and saw Remy’s name displayed on the screen. She hurridly tapped the answer icon and put it on speakerphone.

 

“Hey Remy!” Arianna said brightly into the phone.

 

“Hey Cher! I got your message and your picture of the claw,” Remy said in his thick Cajun accent.

 

“What do you think?” she asked.

 

“It most definitely sounds like what I dealt with in Jersey.”

 

“What is it?” Dean asked.

 

“It’s called a Wakwak,” Remy answered.

 

“A what?” Sam and Dean said together.

 

“It sounds like they come from Endor!” Dean said.

 

Remy laughed. “Yes, but these sumbitches are as far from cute and cuddly as the inhabitants of that moon as they can get. They’re from the Philippines, but a few of them have made their way into other parts of the world, too. When they aren’t in human form, they’re ugly as hell and have gray skin, teeth like vampires, and yellow eyes. Their eyes start glowing when they’re ready to feed, and their claws look pretty much exactly like the picture you sent, and they’re insanely sharp. They use them to rip apart the top half of their victim’s body so they can take the heart. When they flap their wings it’s insanely loud, but only when they are far away from you. But, if it sounds like wings flapping in the distance, that means they are right on top of your ass,” he explained.

 

“What about victim selection?” Sam asked.

 

“That's really specific to the Wakwak you are dealing with, but they usually pick a certain type of victim and stick with it. What are the similarities with your victims?” Remy inquired.

 

“All three were slim, short, blue-eyed blonde females,” Arianna said.

 

There was an uncomfortable pause on Remy’s end of the line.

 

“Cher…you realize you just described yourself, right?” Remy said with a hint of worry.

 

“Yeah, Remy, I'm aware,” Arianna said.

 

“We’re all aware. We got her back, Remy,” Dean said.

 

“A hundred percent,” Sam agreed.

 

Arianna smiled and shook her head at their protectiveness.

 

“Thanks, guys,” Remy said appreciatively.

 

“How do we kill it, Remy?” Arianna asked, effectively ending the moment.

 

“Silver will burn it’s skin in either form, but you got to get it with silver in the heart to kill it,” Remy said.

 

“Is there anyway to sniff this thing out when it’s in human form?” Dean asked.

 

“Other than it’s reaction to silver, not really. The only thing you can really do is try and find someone with an obsession with the victim type. I truly hate to say it, but your best bet may be to see who insistently flirts with Ari, or some other blue-eyed blonde. Just keep in mind these things can only focus on one victim at a time,” Remy explained.

 

“Awesome, I'm sure Gabe would just love to know we are kind of hoping a heart eating monster flirts with his girlfriend,” Dean said, glancing in the rearview mirror at Arianna.

 

Dean saw the same wince cross Arianna’s face from earlier at the word “girlfriend.” This time though, he caught her eye and raised a speculative eyebrow as they looked in each other's eyes through the rearview mirror. He wasn't sure what to make of the expression on her face. After a few seconds, she tore her eyes away and stared at the road ahead of them as Dean drove.   

 

“Speaking of Gabe, you all need to make sure you are extra careful. With the angels out of direct communication, we don't need anyone getting any mortal wounds,” Remy said.

 

“Yeah, because my powers are still useless,” Arianna said in a disgruntled tone.

 

“You’ll get the hang of it, Cher. Just don't give up,” Remy said in his best supportive big brother voice.

 

“Anyway, thanks for the info, Remy,” Arianna said, changing the subject.

 

“Of course, Cher. If y’all end up needing some back up, you give me a call.”

 

“We will, Remy. Give Edmee and Jack our love,” Arianna said.

 

“Absolutely, Cher. You keep in contact and let us know when you kill the sumbitch.”

 

“I will. Bye Remy.”

 

“Bye, Cher. Bye Sam. Bye Dean.”

 

“Bye!” Sam and Dean said together.

 

Arianna hung up the phone and placed it on the seat next to her as Dean pulled into the parking lot of White Wolf. A guy with red hair around twenty-five or so was parked in front of the entrance unloading cases of beer from the bed of his white pickup onto a dolly sitting on the ground next to him. He wore a t-shirt that had the White Wolf Bar logo across its back and blue jeans.

 

Sheriff Whitaker was leaning against his patrol car and was parked next to the young man’s truck. As Dean pulled into the parking lot, Whitaker waved at the trio in the Impala and then got back into his patrol car. He had made his way out of the lot before Dean had even parked.

 

The red-haired man looked up from his task as Dean parked the Impala next to his truck. He stopped what he was doing as he watched the trio get out of the car and made their way over to him. He raised his eyebrows as he looked Arianna up and down with an appreciative stare. When his light green his eyes landed on Sam and Dean he straightened his posture and wiped the look off of his face.

 

“Are you Mason Phillips?” Sam asked as he, Dean, and Arianna walked up to the man.

 

“That's me. You must be the FBI agents I was emailed about,” Mason said.

 

Sam, Dean, and Arianna flashed their badges.

 

“That's right. I'm Agent Plant,” Dean said. “These are my partners, Agent Page,” he pointed to Sam, “and Agent Elliot,” he said, pointing to Arianna.

 

Mason reached out and shook their hands, lingering on Arianna for just a few seconds longer than he did Sam and Dean.

 

“Nice to meet you agents. What can I do for you?” Mason asked with his eyes lingering on Arianna.

 

Arianna glanced at Sam and Dean, who were already looking at her. They had caught Mason’s glances just as she had. Arianna looked back to Mason.

 

“We were hoping you could tell us if you saw anything suspicious on the nights of the murders that took place this week. Reports say all three women were at your bar the night they were murdered,” Arianna said.

 

Mason smiled at Arianna.

 

“Not really anything suspicious. I can confirm they were all here, but a lot of people come here. Even Sheriff Whitaker is in here most nights. The girls were regulars too, if that helps.”

 

“How drunk would you say they were when they left?” Dean asked, trying to pull Mason’s attention.

 

Mason didn't take his eyes off Arianna.

 

“The first two weren't drunk at all. They maybe had one beer while they were here. Cora, on the other hand, she was doing shots of Tequila all night. I tried to get her to wait for me to call her a cab, but she insisted on walking. I called Sheriff Whitaker, he had left right before she had, hoping he could pick her up and take her home, but he didn't find her until it was already too late,” Mason said.

 

“Is there anything else that stuck out about those nights?” Sam asked.

 

Mason leaned against his truck as he thought about the question. The sound of the door of the bar opening caught all of their attention and they turned to see a young girl, barely 21, walk through the door. She was the same height as Arianna, with bleach blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She wore thick makeup, a short pair of cutoff jeans, and the same navy blue shirt as Mason. She paused in the doorway when she saw Sam, Dean, and Arianna.

 

“Nickie, these are the FBI agents I told you were coming. Agents Page, Plant, and Elliot.” Mason pointed to them as he said their names. “Agents, this is one of my bartenders, Nickie.”

 

“Hi agents!” Nickie said enthusiastically.

 

“Nickie, do you remember anything out of place from the nights those girls were killed?” Mason asked.

 

“Well, Cora came up to the bar at one point, rambling about hearing flapping wings outside, but she was really drunk and wasn't making a whole lot of sense. Why? I thought those were animal attacks. Why is the FBI investigating?” Nickie asked.

 

“The big wigs in DC just want all the bases covered ma’am,” Arianna said sweetly.

 

Nickie smiled brightly at her.

 

“Is there anything else we can do ya for Agents?” Mason’s eyes fell back to Arianna almost in a leer. “Anything at all?” he asked seductively.

 

Dean stepped between Arianna and Mason, forcing the young man to look at him. He held out his hand and Mason shook it.

 

“No, that's it for now. We will be in touch though,” Dean said, glaring at Mason as he dropped his hand.

 

Dean turned and started to usher Arianna back to the Impala. Sam bid Mason a farewell and turned to follow them. Dean opened the back passenger side door for Arianna and she started to get in.

 

“You guys should come by tonight when you are off duty!” Nickie chimed in exuberantly.

 

Sam looked back to the girl and forced a smile.

 

“Uh, yeah, we’ll try,” he said.

 

Dean and Arianna smiled and nodded at the girl. With that, they all got into the Impala, and Dean started the engine as soon as his door closed and exited the parking space. They all remained silent until Dean pulled back onto the road.

 

“Looks like we have a suspect,” Dean said, almost angrily.

 

“Just because he’s got a staring problem doesn't mean he’s our guy, Dean,” Arianna said.

 

“He was looking at you like he wanted to eat you from the second you got out of the car, Ari!” Dean said, exasperated.

 

“All he did was look. He didn't actually make a move. It’s not enough to go in guns blazing,” Arianna said calmly.

 

“Ari is right, Dean. It’s never that easy. We need more to go on than a couple creepy stares. He could just be a creep,” Sam said.

 

Dean mumbled under his breath as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

 

“So what do you guys want to do?” he asked, not trying to hide his annoyance.

 

“We do what Nickie suggested. We go hang out at the bar and see if Mason gives away anything else,” Arianna said.

 

“Basically, you want to use yourself as bait?” Dean said, angry again.

 

Arianna looked to Sam.

 

“Come on, Sam! A little help here!” she said.

 

Sam nodded at her and looked to Dean, who glared.

 

“Dean, I don't like it either, but it’s our best shot. One of us will be with her at all times, and I’ll even go in before hand to case the place before you two walk in. We’ve got to at least get close enough to Mason to touch him with silver,” Sam said, trying to reason with his brother.

 

Dean released an annoyed breath.

 

“Fine, but you better stick to us like glue, Ari,” he said, looking at Arianna through the rearview mirror.

 

“I promise,” she said, looking right back at Dean in the mirror.

 

* * *

 

 

Because of all the warding surrounding it, it had taken Jay and Castiel a good amount of time to locate the underground crypt. Like Gabriel and Luke, they had to break wards around the entrance of their destination, which took a long while. After they were down, they entered armed with flashlights and angel blades. Jay also carried a gun loaded with the angel killing bullets Sam had given to him.

 

The crypt was large, able to hold ten bodies in the large vaults situated on either side, but the walkway in-between was barely wide enough for Castiel and Jay to walk abreast. The walls and floors were stone while the doors to the vaults were made of aged steel. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling, and a thick layer of dirt covered the ground that they walked on, dust caked down into almost every other available surface.

 

They walked down the crypt in silence, moving their flashlights around slowly as they looked for any recent Archangel activity. As they got close to the end, Jay was the first to see the large hole in the stone at the very dead end of the dark corridor. The wall appeared to have been blasted open with dynamite to get to another wall behind it.

 

“Cas! Look!” Jay said, pointing towards the hole with his flashlight.

 

Castiel followed the beam of light to the gaping hole a few feet in front of them.

 

“That looks suspicious,” Castiel said as he sped up his pace to close the distance to the hole.

 

Jay matched his pace and they both made it to the end quickly. They both focused their flashlight on the wall in front of them, looking for any signs of what may have been behind the false wall. There was rubble filling the space between the walls, and at the top of the hole they both saw the Enochian lettering at the same time.

 

“Cas!” Jay said excitedly as he stared at the lettering.

 

“I see it. From what's left, it looks like at one time it was warding used specifically by the Archangels.” Castiel was following the lettering above the hole with his flashlight, trying to piece together the broken Enochian.

 

“Anyway to tell which Archangel?” Jay asked, now following Castiel’s light with his.

 

Castiel walked closer to the hole to get a better look at the letters around it. He followed them down and around the sides, then stopped and stepped back, sighing disappointedly.

 

“What is it?” Jay asked.

 

“Our Michael made this warding. I'm guessing he came and got whatever was in here before he attempted to fight Lucifer. He would have needed his blade to do that,” Castiel explained, failing to hide the disappointment in his voice.

 

Jay’s face fell in defeat. He looked back to the wall and the rubble and made a quick decision. He laid his flashlight on the ground and began digging, pulling out rock after rock. He was determined not to leave this place empty handed.  

 

“Jay, I'm sure there is nothing in there,” Castiel said as he watched Jay.

 

Jay stopped briefly to look at the angel.

 

“What have we got to lose by making sure?” he asked, then dove back into his task, not waiting for an answer.

 

Castiel shook his head, but after a few seconds he joined Jay in pulling out the rocks. After thirty minutes of digging they were nearing the bottom. Just as Jay was about to call it, his hand connected with something made of metal and shaped like a rectangle.

 

“Cas, grab a flashlight! I got something!” Jay instructed as he frantically started pulling away the remaining rocks.

 

Castiel grabbed a flashlight and pointed towards Jay’s hands. Finally, Jay had moved enough of the rubble to grab the metal object and he quickly pulled it out and held it under the light. It was a golden box about six inches long and three inches wide. Across the top of the box was Enochian lettering, elegantly carved into the gold.

 

“What does it say?” Jay asked, slightly confused. He knew the box wasn't big enough to hold an Archangel blade.

 

When he looked up at Castiel, he saw a confused expression on the angel’s face that matched his own. Castiel stared down at the box as he spoke.

 

“It says...Gabriel,” Castiel finally answered.

 

* * *

 

 

“Ok, let me make sure I've got everything: Double bacon cheeseburger, chilli cheese fries, and pie for Dean. Regular cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato and large fry for Ari,” Sam said, looking at a piece of paper in his hand with Arianna and Dean’s orders written on it.

 

“Yup,” Arianna and Dean said together from the small table in the cheap motel room.

 

“Alright, I'll be back in a few,” Sam said and exited the room.

 

After leaving the White Wolf, they had returned to the motel room they had rented when they first got into town, where they quickly changed out of their FBI attire into more comfortable clothes. Sam had thrown on a pair of jeans, a dark red t-shirt, and a blue flannel over shirt that he left unbuttoned. Dean had put on a pair of jeans, a grey t-shirt, and a red flannel over shirt which he left unbuttoned as well. Arianna had changed into a dark purple v-neck t-shirt and a pair of tight fitting jeans.

 

They had decided to regroup and prepare for the night ahead. Dean was dead set on icing Mason, but neither Arianna or Sam were convinced. They went over the specifics of the case until they started repeating themselves, and Sam finally suggested that they grab something to eat before heading back to the bar. Since it was his idea, Sam was picked to go out and get it and, even though neither Winchester said it, Arianna had a feeling that they wouldn’t have let her leave by herself anyway.

 

With Sam gone, Arianna and Dean sat at the table with laptops open in front of them.  Arianna intently pulled up anything she could find on the Wakwak while Dean, on the other hand, peered over his laptop screen at her and debated on how to approach the conversation he was thinking of starting. Finally, he decided that being direct was probably his best course of action.

 

“So, how are things with you and Gabe?” he asked.

 

Arianna pulled her eyes from the laptop to look at him. The question had surprised her.

 

“We’re good,” she said.

 

“You sure? No problems? No doubts?” he asked again.

 

She suddenly felt like Luke or Jay had busted her on something she had been trying to keep from them.

 

“Everything is fine, Dean. We don't fight. Jay and Remy like him, and Luke is getting there. Edmee loves him. The sex is phenomenal. He’s helping me try, very patiently, to figure out this whole Guardian thing. Everything is fine,” she said, trying to hide her annoyance.

 

Dean thought about her answer for a moment as he searched her face.

 

“Then why did you react the way you did to the words _boyfriend_ and _girlfriend?”_

 

“Why does everyone keep using those terms?” she said, shutting her laptop a little harder than she intended.

 

“Because that's what you are,” Dean said, a little confused.

 

Arianna sighed and leaned back in her chair. She hadn't meant to blurt out her last question. She knew there was no way out of this conversation, but she was still going to try.

 

“We haven't actually called each other that yet. But, with everything we’ve got going on, it’s stupid to even get into it. Everything is fine,” she said.

 

“When a woman says something is _fine_ , I've learned that it never is,” Dean said, shutting his laptop. “Talk to me, Ari.”

 

Arianna rolled her eyes.

 

“Dean, don't. I know how the idea of even having that conversation with an Archangel is absolutely asinine. He tells me he loves me and he’s shown me the true form of his wings. I shouldn't need more confirmation than that, and I feel completely ridiculous even thinking for a second that this needs to be labeled. We’ve got too much going on for this to be in my head,” she said, trying not to sound as crazy and desperate as she felt.

 

“Wanting to feel validated and to know you aren't wasting your time isn't ridiculous. It’s human. If Gabriel wants to be with a human then he needs to realize he has to deal with how a human mind works,” Dean said, letting a little bit of his big brother tendencies slip out.

 

“It’s not him, Dean. If I'm being perfectly honest, I know that if I told him what was going on in my head he would do whatever it took to fix it,” Arianna said in defeat.

 

“Then just talk to him about it.”

 

“It’s not that simple,” she said with her eyes starting to fill with tears.

 

“Why not?” Dean asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

Arianna wiped her eyes.

 

“Because while everything is great between us now, he’s still an angel. I'm not an idiot, Dean. I'm just a blip on the radar of his long life. Eventually, given we survive Michael and if some other monster doesn't take me out, I'm going to grow old, I'll someday die. And unless something stabs him with an Archangel blade, he's not dying or aging. Can you imagine Gabriel, looking exactly how he does now, with me when I'm 80? I love Gabriel with all my heart, I've loved him since the moment I laid eyes on him, and I'm thrilled to get to be with him while I can. But, the truth of the matter is that there will come a day when he won't have any choice but to let me go. I know there is no way we can really be more than we are now. It’s not like angels can get married. Well, there is something called a Heaven’s Bond, but it’s a whole big process and the angel has to get permission from God himself to do it. You and I both know that’s impossible.” Her face was wet with tears when she finished speaking.

 

Dean uncrossed his arms and rested them on his laptop. She avoided eye contact with him when he looked at her, his own eyes full of pain for her as he watched the tears fall down her face. He hadn't expected Ari to be so honest, and now he wasn't exactly sure where to go with the conversation he had started.  

 

“I still think you should talk to him. Yeah, things may be complicated but, hell, everything about our lives is complicated, and we are somehow managing to keep our heads above water. I know I told you once that I didn't think Gabe was the feelings type of guy, and at one point he most definitely wasn't. But since he's started working with us, and especially since you came into the picture, he’s a completely different guy. I'm sure if you just tell him what's going on in your head the two of you can figure it out. I really don't see him ever letting you go without a fight either,” Dean said softly, even though he knew he was rambling.

 

Arianna wiped her eyes again.

 

“It’s selfish to devote so much time to this when we literally have the end of the world hanging over our heads. The time it would take to figure this out is time that should be spent tracking down Michael and the Archangel blades.” Arianna tried and failed to keep her voice from cracking.

 

Dean raised his eyebrows at her and smirked.

 

“I'm sorry, but that's just a bullshit cop out,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest again.

 

Arianna’s eyes snapped to his in shock.

 

“What?”

 

“I said, that's a bullshit cop out. Do you know how many times Sam and I have dealt with the impending doom of the world? Way more than a few times! The world is always trying to throw itself off a bridge. I know this is your first world ending crisis, but you still have to find someway to carve out every little bit of happiness you can get. Didn’t you say that the other Gabriel told you pretty much the same thing? You really need to learn how to take good advice, Ari,” Dean said sternly.

 

Arianna stared at him in shock for a moment. Slowly, a smile swept across her face and her tears began to dry. Dean’s stern expression softened when he saw her smile.

 

“You're pretty smart, Winchester,” Arianna said with a chuckle. “I’ll try to figure out how to talk to him,” she said.

 

“Good,” he said.

 

Arianna watched Dean’s expression turn thoughtful, and she could see the wheels in his head turning as he contemplated about what he was going to say next.

 

“What is it, Dean?” she asked, confused at the sudden change of his mood.

 

He was silent for another moment before he spoke.

 

“Sam said earlier that Gabe told him you were still having trouble getting a handle on your powers.”

 

“Yeah?” she said, still confused. She wasn't sure where this was going.

 

“Well, he mentioned that he thought it was you letting the severity of the situation get to you and that it was blocking you.”

 

“That's what Gabe thinks, too.”

 

“What if it’s not? What if the only thing blocking you is yourself? We are hunters; the thought of a fight or how big it is doesn't give us pause. Hell, I saw you throw yourself at that monster in Akashic without a second thought. The impending fight’s not causing you problems. Your powers are tied to your emotions and with so many swirling around in your head at once, it’s no wonder you can't get a lock on your powers. I’ll bet you twenty bucks right now that if you can get your emotions under control you will get those powers of yours under control as well,” Dean said intently.

 

Arianna stared at Dean in disbelief. She was mentally kicking herself for not thinking of that exact same thing. Everything he had said made perfect sense. Arianna dropped her forehead to the table and let out a frustrated sigh. Dean laughed at her reaction and Arianna folded her arms under her chin to look up at him.

 

“Why the hell didn't I think of that!?” she said in frustration.

 

Dean laughed again.

 

“You aren't the only one that didn't.”

 

Arianna sighed defeatedly.

 

“So all I have to do is calm the million and one emotions swirling in my head at once. That should be easy,” she said sarcastically.

 

“Try not to think about it so much. Just trust yourself and your instincts and see what happens. You were the one who found both places that our raiders are at right now, didn't you? Why did you initially choose them? We didn't know how much warding was around them until Edmee told us.”

 

“I don't know. I just kinda felt drawn to them.”

 

“See! You can do this, Ari! And every single one of us is standing beside you. We all believe in you. You gotta believe in yourself too,” Dean said reassuringly.

 

“Ya know, I never had a problem believing in myself before this whole Guardian thing. I never second guessed myself, but now so much is riding on the choices I make. It’s just a little overwhelming,” Arianna said.

 

She hadn't meant to bare her soul to Dean, but she had to admit, it was a relief to finally let it all out. Something about talking to Dean really helped her organize all the thoughts that had been screaming in her head since the night they had faced Michael. This was the second time talking to him had put her mind at ease, the first being the night when they had both sat on the hood of her car. Their friendship had started almost immediately, and his brotherly support meant more to her than she could put into words.

 

“I know it is,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “But, you aren't alone in this. We’ll get through it.”

 

Arianna smiled at him appreciatively.

 

“Thanks, Dean.”

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel and Luke walked slowly through the dark cave, their only light coming from the flashlights in their hands. The cave was narrow with high ceilings, and the smooth stone walls glittered as the beams of light reflected off of them. The cave walls narrowed further until they saw an archway into another room that had been made by someone or something.

 

They paused before the opening to glance at one another, then by silent agreement Gabriel dropped an angel blade from a sleeve of his leather jacket into his hand while Luke pulled his from the pocket of his own jacket. They then walked through the archway with their blades posed ready to fight.

 

They walked into a room that was shaped in a perfect circle, and light from the setting sun filled the space from an opening in the ceiling that led to the outside world. Two stone statues sat atop stone pedestals on either side of the archway, and Luke immediately recognized them as soldiers from the Roman Empire. Enochian writing was carved in a large circle on the wall on the opposite side of the room, and Gabriel and Luke shared a cautiously hopeful look.

 

“What kind of Enochian is that? I don't think I've ever seen anything like it,” Luke asked as they crossed the room.

 

When they had reached the writing, Gabriel stowed his blade and took a minute to study it before he spoke.

 

“It’s more warding. Warding only Archangels use,” he answered, not taking his eyes off of the writing. “Looks like Raphael set this one up.”

 

“Can you break the warding?” Luke asked.

 

“Yeah.” Gabriel turned to look at Luke. “You might want to stand back. It’s been more than a few thousand years since I've done this.”

 

Luke nodded and quickly moved to the middle of the room. Satisfied with the distance between them, Gabriel turned and placed his open palms in the middle of the circle, closing his eyes before concentrating on the warding. Dust and small pebbles began to fall from the ceiling as the room around them began to tremble. The Enochian lettering began to glow blue, and with a loud crash the stone wall that had been within the circle came thundering to the ground, sending up a huge cloud of dust.

 

Before the dust could settle, Luke was back at Gabriel’s side. The archangel snapped his fingers to clear the dust in the air, and both peered in the secret hiding place that he had opened and gasped. Their eyes grew wide at the sight before them.

 

Hanging in the middle of the wall that Gabriel had revealed was an Archangel blade, and both were unable to believe what they were looking at for a moment.

 

“Is that what I think it is?” Luke asked in astonishment.

 

“It sure is,” Gabriel answered in equal amazement.

 

Gabriel tentatively reached out and took the blade from its place on the wall. He held the blade up in front of him to examine it, then a wide smile crossed his face as he turned to look at Luke.

 

“Holy shit, we did it,” Luke said as a smile came upon his face as well.

 

Luke swept his eyes around the room. He had expected more to happen when Gabriel broke the warding, and a stomach churning thought started to ebb at the back of his mind. When he looked back to Gabriel he saw him looking around the room as well. The questioning look on the Archangel's face confirmed his suspicion.

 

“This was too easy wasn't it?” Luke asked, causing Gabriel’s eyes to meet his.

 

The loud crunching sound of stone against stone suddenly echoed through the room.

 

“You just had to say it, didn't you?” Gabriel asked.

 

They both turned their heads towards the entrance of the room just in time to see the Roman soldier statues jump down from their pedestals, their swords and shields raised and ready to fight. Gabriel narrowed his eyes, gripping the Archangel blade in his hand tightly as he widened his stance, and Luke mirrored his movement with his own angel blade.

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna sat in the passenger seat of the Impala next to Dean in the parking lot of the White Wolf. Sam was inside, checking the bar out first before they followed him. Night had just fallen and all the free parking space had been taken, and other bar patrons had started parking on the side of the road in front of the bar.

 

Their plan was to get close enough to Mason to touch him with something silver. Arianna had donned a pair of black fingerless gloves that had a silver mesh woven into the tops and on the palms, and all three had guns loaded with silver bullets, as well as a couple silver bladed knives stashed in various places on themselves. They were ready to attack if the opportunity presented itself.

 

Arianna ran a finger over the silver mesh of one of the gloves on her hand as she watched the door, waiting for Sam. Dean leaned back in his seat with one arm propped against his window, one hand resting on the steering wheel. He glanced over at Arianna, taking in her intent expression.

 

“Nervous?” he asked with a smirk.

 

She looked at him, returning his smirk.

 

“Just ready to ice this thing,” she said.

 

“GPS turned on on your phone just in case?”

 

Arianna laughed.

 

“Yes Luke, GPS is turned on.”

 

It was Dean’s turn to laugh.

 

“You may have meant that sarcastically, but I'm taking it as a compliment,” he said.

 

“It was meant as one,” she said with a smile.

 

Dean’s phone rang with a text notification, and he pulled the phone from his jeans pocket and looked at it. “Sam’s ready for us,” he said, and quickly replaced his phone.

 

They both got out of the Impala and walked side by side towards the entrance of the bar. Arianna took in her surroundings, trying to commit to memory as many of the vehicles in the parking lot as possible. Her attention was caught by an empty patrol car parked at the far end.

 

When they reached the bar, Dean let her lead the way inside by opening the door for her. Their senses were instantly assaulted with the sights, sounds, and smells of the packed bar. There was loud music that blared through the sound system, laughter and chatter from the bar patrons, the smell of cigarette smoke and multiple kinds of cologne, and the pool being played in the far corner of the bar could be heard over all the noise.

 

The place was large, but with so many people packed into the establishment it was still hard to move through the crowd as both hunters scanned the room to look for Sam. Close to the pool tables booths lined the wall a few feet in front of a large dance floor crowded with people. In the very center of the room there was a large square bar where Mason and Nickie were serving as many people as fast as possible.

 

Dean finally spotted Sam, who had managed to snag three seats at the bar. When his eyes landed on his brother, Sam waved them over and Arianna and Dean came as quickly as they could through the large crowd. They were each handed a beer by Sam, and Arianna took a seat while Sam and Dean stood.

 

Arianna caught Mason’s eye as soon as she sat down, and she watched as a grin crossed his face before he winked at her. Even though Dean had resisted strongly, they had decided that Arianna needed to be friendly with Mason until she could get close enough to touch him with her gloves, so she smiled weakly at him and waved. Taking her smile as an invitation, Mason made his way over to her. Sam and Dean pretended to not notice as they looked over her head. Arianna purposefully placed a gloved hand on the bar when Mason stood in front of her, and she looked into his face giving her best flirtatious smile. It made her stomach lurch.

 

“Hey there, Agent Elliot!” he said as he looked her up and down.

 

“Hey Mason! Please, call me Stacy,” she said, keeping the fake flirtatious smile plastered on her face.

 

He grinned slyly as her.

 

“Well, damn, I'm honored.” He leaned on the bar across from her and moved in closer.

 

She fought the urge to lean away from him and forced her best school girl giggle.

 

Mason’s grin turned predatory. Arianna could feel the tension radiating off of Sam and Dean as they watched her from the corner of their eyes.

 

“So what are your plans tonight, Stacy?” Mason asked as he rested his forearms. “Are you tied to your partners all night? I should be out of here in about a hour.”

 

Now was her chance, he was close enough to touch. Forcing her best flirty eyes and smile, and holding her breath, she positioned her hand to lay her silver lined glove on his bare forearm. She could also feel Sam and Dean holding their breaths. In one swift movement she placed the palm of her hand on his bare forearm, but nothing happened. She exhaled sharply, as did Sam and Dean. She blinked at her hand for a moment to make sure it wasn't a delayed reaction, but when she removed her hand there were no burn marks. She looked up and met Mason’s confused eyes. She quickly searched her brain for a non bitchy way out of this.

 

“I'm so sorry, Mason. But, yes, I am tied to my partners all night, and I'm pretty sure the guy I'm seeing wouldn't be cool with me hanging out with another man alone,” she said, smiling as apologetically as she could.

 

Mason's eyes instantly grew wide and he quickly stood straight up.

 

“Oh my God. Stacy, I'm so sorry! I guess I should have asked if you were with someone. I gotta say though, he's a lucky man. Can I buy you and your partners another round as an apology?” Mason said quickly.

 

Arianna blinked at him in disbelief. She definitely wasn't expecting that reaction. She and Sam both had been convinced he was a creep. Hell, Dean had been certain he was a heart eating monster. She tried to get her brain to form a response, but all she could do was look to Sam and Dean, who had looks of disappointment and shock on their faces. Fortunately, Sam pulled it together quickly.

 

“That would be great, Mason. Thank you,” Sam said sincerely.

 

Mason smiled broadly. He looked at the beers each of them held in their hands and walked away to go retrieve their drinks.

 

“Well, that didn't go like I thought it was going to,” Dean said annoyed.

 

“What now? We have no other suspects,” Arianna said.

 

“Looks like we are going to have to go check out the last crime scene,” Sam said.

 

Arianna and Dean nodded in agreement. Dean took a drink of his beer and swept his eyes across the room. His eyes fell on Sheriff Whitaker making his way through the crowd toward them.

 

“Sam,” Dean said, gesturing toward the man.

 

Sam and Arianna both looked in the direction Dean was indicating. Before any more words could be said, Whitaker was in front of them.

 

“Hey Agents! I'm surprised you're still here,” he said with a smile, looking at Sam and Dean.

 

Something about the way he smiled at Sam and Dean made Arianna's stomach turn a flip.

 

“You must be Agent Elliot. I saw you in the car with these two earlier,” he said, looking directly in her eyes.

 

“Yeah, that's me,” she said.

 

Her voice was a little shaky and she couldn't figure out why.

 

“Did the coroner get a hold of you yet?” he asked.

 

“No, we haven't heard from her since we were at the morgue today,” Arianna answered.

 

“I really thought she would have called you by now. She finished the report on the last body and she wanted you to have a copy. I have my copy in my patrol car if you want to take a look at it,” he said, jerking his thumb towards the door.

 

“Uh, yeah, that would be great. Thank you,” she said.

 

Arianna sat her beer down and pushed herself off her seat to stand up. Dean moved like he was going to follow her, but Whitaker put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Agent Plant, you should stay here and relax. It won't take us but a second to run out to my patrol car,” Whitaker said.

 

Dean shot Arianna a look of disdain. She knew he didn't like the idea.

 

“Dean, it's just the parking lot. I’ll be right back,” Arianna said.

 

Without another word, she was following Sheriff Whitaker through the crowd of people and through the door. After it closed behind them, the sounds from within the bar were drastically muffled and it took her ears a second to adjust as they walked along the side of the building towards his patrol car at the far end of the parking lot.

 

They hadn't walked three feet when alarms started ringing in her head. Her body buzzed with a sense of danger as she stopped and looked around the parking lot that she now realized had no people walking around it. Whitaker took a couple more steps before he realized she wasn't beside him anymore. He stopped and turned back to her, and when their eyes met, the sense of danger that had been buzzing in her before now became like a smack in the face.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, taking a step closer to her, looking genuinely perplexed by her reaction.

 

“I think I should go get my partners. They really should see this too, and the lighting in the bar is terrible,” she said slowly, moving her hand behind her back to grip her gun in the back waistband of her jeans.

 

Before she could reach her gun, Whitaker moved with inhuman speed, grabbing both of her wrists and throwing her into the wall of the bar. When her body connected hard with the concrete wall, it knocked the breath out of her. Before she could recover or fall to the ground he was on her, and his hands pinned her wrists on either side of her head while his body pressed her flat against the wall. She tried to fight against him, but his strength was just as inhuman as his speed.  

 

Arianna looked into his face and was met with yellow glowing eyes. Her expression burned with fury.

 

“You!” she seethed.

 

He chuckled menacingly. “Me! I had the three of you pegged the moment the Hardy Boys in there walked into my office. Then I saw you in the backseat of that car today and I just knew I had to have you.” He lowered his head to her neck and breathed in her scent. “Mmmm. You smell different than any human I've ever encountered.”

 

Arianna fought as hard as she could to get out of his grasp. He just squeezed her wrists harder, and she knew there would be bruises.

 

“Get off of me you freak!” she demanded.

 

He raised his head and smiled at her devilishly.

 

“I'm going to take my time with you. I'm taking you somewhere special,” he said.

 

Arianna heard a cracking sound from behind him. Slowly, she saw two bat like wings sprouting from behind his back. She heard scraping against the wall where her wrists were being held and looked up to see black curved talons taking the place of his fingernails. When she looked back to his face his skin was now gray and his eyes were glowing even brighter.

 

“I can't wait to see what your insides smell like,” he said, and then headbutted her hard, knocking her unconscious.

 

* * *

 

 

Dean stared at the door impatiently waiting for Arianna to walk back through it. He didn't like her going without him, and he disliked even more that it was taking so long. He looked over to his brother, who was staring at the same place he had been.

 

“Was that Sheriff Whitaker I saw you all taking to?” Mason asked.

 

He had just returned with three beers in his hands. Dean and Sam whirled around at the sound of his voice. They had almost forgot about him as they watched for Arianna.

 

“Yeah, that was him,” Sam said.

 

Mason sat the beers down in front of him.

 

“Gotta say, that man has taken these recent animal attacks in stride,” he said.

 

Sam and Dean shared a questioning look.

 

“What do you mean?” Dean asked, looking back to Mason.

 

“I mean, the man just transferred here maybe three weeks ago, and he’s been right on top of this case. He was the first person to arrive at each crime scene. He made sure he was the one who oversaw every aspect of those cases,” Mason explained.

 

“Mason, I know you said he was here the night Cora died, but, was Sheriff Whitaker here on the nights the other two girls were killed too?” Sam asked.

 

Mason thought for a second.

 

“Actually come to think about it, he was. He even walked them to their cars on the nights they were attacked,” he answered.

 

Realization hit Sam and Dean like a punch to the gut and the color drained from their faces as they put the pieces together in their minds. Whitaker was the Wakwak, and Arianna had just left with him. Almost in unison, they both turned and ran through the crowd. They had to push more than one person out of the way to get to the door.

 

Dean made it first and flung the door open so hard it banged against the wall. Sam was right on his heels as they ran out into the parking lot. Frantically, they looked around, and all they saw were parked cars. Dean’s eyes scanned along the wall of the bar and he had to fight the urge to throw up when he saw Arianna’s gun, phone, and gloves laying on the ground.

 

“Sam!” he yelled as he ran over to her discarded belongings.

 

Sam made it to his side a second later. Dean knelt down and picked up Arianna’s things.

 

“We have to find her, Sam! NOW!” he almost yelled.

 

“What the hell is going on agents?” Mason said from behind them.

 

Sam and Dean jerked their heads to look at him. Dean quickly got to his feet as Sam quickly walked toward Mason.

 

“Mason, I need you to tell me right now. Does Whitaker have some place he likes to go around here? Some place private?” Sam asked urgently.

 

Mason blinked in confusion.

 

“I don't know about just someplace he likes to go, but he has a little one room cabin he lives in on Windrush Lane,” he answered, not sure why they needed to know.

 

“How do we get there?” Dean demanded.

 

“Turn left out of here and follow the main road for about six miles. Windrush will be on your right. Just follow that road all the way to the end and you will run right into the cabin. What's going on? Where is Stacy?” Mason answered, worry creeping into his voice at Sam and Dean’s reactions.

 

Sam pulled a card that had his phone number written on it from his jeans pocket and shoved it in Mason’s hand. “I don't have time to explain. If Whitaker shows up here do not, under any circumstances, approach him. Call me immediately!” Sam instructed.

 

Sam spun on his heel to run to the Impala and saw that Dean was already there. He picked up the pace and got to the car just as Dean turned the key in the ignition. Sam slammed his door and Dean peeled out of the parking lot, slamming the gas pedal to the floor the second he was on the main road.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna groaned as she rolled her head from side to side, trying to coax her eyes to open, the movement causing pain to throb within her skull. She tried to rub it with her hands but quickly realized she couldn't. Her eyes shot open and she found that she was tightly tied spread-eagled to a cold metal table. The ropes around her wrist bit sharply into her skin when she tested to see how much give they had, which wasn’t any at all. Flashbacks of being in this same exact situation seven years prior tried to invade her mind, but she roughly pushed them away; she couldn’t go down that rabbit hole, and she knew it.

 

She chanced a look down her body and saw that her dark, purple v-neck shirt had been cut down the middle. The cut fabric laid on either side of her, exposing her black bra and torso to the cold air. She swallowed hard as she realized the Wakwak had already prepared her for the extraction of her heart. Her jeans and shoes were still intact, and she silently thanked God for that much, even if the ropes had been tied directly on the skin of her ankles.

 

She craned her neck to look around the room and saw that she was in a one-room log cabin. A hunter green door was directly across from her, and a small sink, countertop, stove, and refrigerator sat up against one wall. The source of light came from an overhead light that hung from the ceiling, and other than that, the only thing in the cabin was the metal table she was tied to in the middle of the room.

 

She then realized she was alone in the room.

 

“Gabriel!” she whispered, not wanting to risk the Wakwak hearing her, “Gabriel, please, can you hear me? I need you!”

 

“Pray all you want to, sweetheart. Scream your prayer if it makes you feel better. He won't be able to hear you,” Whitaker said.

 

She snapped her head in the direction of his voice and saw him standing in front of the door in his human form again. She hadn't heard him come through the door. Hatred spread across her face as she took in the sight of him. Her eyes fell on his left hand and the blood dripping from it and her heart sank. She knew he had warded the cabin, and Gabriel wouldn't hear her prayers. They wouldn't make it through the warding. Her only hope was in Sam and Dean finding her.

 

She watched as Whitaker slowly walked towards her. When he reached the table, he palmed the table on either side of her head. He lowered his head to her neck and breathed in, humming hungrily at her scent. Arianna did her best to wiggle away from him, but the ropes around her wrists and ankles kept her firmly in place. He then raised his head to look at her.

 

“Why do you smell so different?” he asked with an evil grin. “I smelled the scent of angels on you the moment I saw you in that car, but that's not it. There is something about you. What is it?”

 

Arianna glared at him with pure venom in her eyes. His face suddenly contorted into anger.

 

“I asked you a question!” he yelled in her face.

 

Arianna spit in his face and Whitaker roared in anger and punched her. The blow landed on the bone under her left eye and she saw stars as pain exploded through her, making her whole face throb. She could feel it starting to swell after he gave her a moment to recover before he placed his hands back on the table on either side of her head. He leaned his face down close to hers.

 

“Let’s try that again. Why do you smell so different?” he asked when her eyes focused on him again.

 

“Bite me, you son of a bitch!” she said with venom dripping from her voice.

 

An evil grin spread across his face. She heard a cracking sound again as he changed into his Wakwak form, his eyes glowing yellow again.

 

“I thought you would never ask,” he said as vampire like teeth descended from his gums.

 

He opened his mouth wide and lowered his head, sinking his teeth into her shoulder. Arianna screamed as his teeth ripped through her flesh to the bone. She could feel the blood running down her skin.

 

That was when the door was violently kicked open and Sam and Dean came rushing inside the cabin. Whitaker jerked away from her and whirled around in time to see Dean running towards him. Before he could react, Dean had tackled him to the ground and was landing punch after punch to his face.

 

Sam was on Arianna in an instant, attempting to cut the ropes around her wrists. He hadn't even made it through the first cut before Dean was thrown into him, and they both went sailing through the air, crashing into the wall. With his inhuman speed, the Wakwak was looming over Sam and Dean before they had even fully hit the ground. He roughly wrapped his clawed hands around each of their throats and lifted them off the ground into the air. He slammed their bodies against the wall as he squeezed their throats.

 

“NO!!!” Arianna screamed.

 

She desperately pulled at her ropes with everything she had, trying to get free. She didn't realize she had tears streaming down her face as she screamed Sam and Dean’s names.

 

“Ari!! Check your emotions!” Dean somehow choked out through the hold around his throat.

 

The conversation that she had had with Dean earlier came crashing into her mind. She instinctively knew she had to push every emotion she had aside and focus on the need raging inside of her to protect the Winchesters, her friends. No, her _brothers_. Fear, rage, and anxiety ripped through her mind. She wouldn't let this happen. She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on the love she had for her chosen family. Her muscles began to relax as she pushed every other emotion she had out of her mind.

 

The hot coil of power she had felt in her chest the night she faced Michael sprung to life in her chest. She let it uncoil and surge through her body. When her eyes snapped open they were glowing violet. The same light appeared around her wrists and ankles, disintegrating the ropes tied around them.

 

The Wakwak laughed tauntingly as he watched Sam and Dean struggle to break free from his grasp. He squeezed tighter and felt a trickle of blood from where his claws were starting to bite into their skin. Both men pried and clawed at the hand around their throats, but suddenly stopped fighting as they caught a glimpse of something behind the Wakwak. The Wakwak’s smile dropped from his face when he saw smiles spread across Sam and Dean’s lips.

 

White hot pain shot through the Wakwak’s body when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. As he dropped to his knees, he released the brothers, letting them fall to the floor. He craned his neck to see who was causing his pain. Looming over him with a death grip on his shoulder was Arianna. Her eyes and her whole body was glowing with a bright violet light.

 

“What the hell are you!?” he screamed as another blinding surge of pain shot through his body.

 

Arianna released his shoulder and placed her hands on either side of his head. She roughly jerked it backwards as far as it would go, leaning in close to his ear.

 

“I'm the Guardian,” she said.

 

Unimaginable pain shot through his body again. When he opened his mouth to scream, bright violet lights erupted upwards from his mouth and eyes. His whole body began to shake violently right before he abruptly exploded into dust. The glow from Arianna’s eyes and body faded as she stared in disbelief at the now empty space between her hands. Suddenly two sets of arms wrapped around her, hugging her tightly and jerking her from her disbelief. She began to cry as Sam and Dean hugged her.

 

“You did it!” Sam exclaimed.

 

“I knew you could!” Dean said proudly.

 

They stood there for a few minutes letting her cry as they both embraced her tightly. It hit Sam and Dean at the same time when they realized that their hands were resting on bare skin. They both pulled away quickly, taking in Arianna standing there with her shirt cut open and bra fully exposed. Both of them snapped their heads up to stare at the ceiling awkwardly.

 

It took Arianna a second to process their strange reaction, but when she did she quickly attempted to cover herself with her ripped shirt. Dean jerked off his flannel over shirt and handed it to her, making sure his eyes never left the ceiling. Arianna grabbed the offered shirt and quickly rid herself of the damaged one before putting on and buttoning Dean’s. Once she was covered, she couldn't help but laugh. Chancing a look at her, Sam and Dean both relaxed and did the same. As their laughter calmed, they looked at each other and smiled.

 

“Let’s go home guys,” Arianna said with a smile still plastered to her face.

 

“That sounds like a fantastic idea,” Sam said.

 

“Agreed. Think you could also heal us,” Dean said gesturing toward the blood seeping through the shoulder of the shirt he’d given to Arianna to wear.

 

Arianna looked at the blood seeping through the shirt. She had forgotten about the wound. Placing a hand over where the wound, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Warmth spread through the teeth marks, cauterizing the wound but that was all that happened. The pain from the wound slowly began to seep through her shoulder again.

 

“Looks like I used up all my energy on blowing up ugly,” she said with disappointment.

 

“Blowing him up? Ari, you straight up smote that son of a bitch!” Dean said proudly.

 

“Yeah, Ari. Don’t get down on yourself. You accomplished a lot tonight,” Sam said reassuringly.

 

Arianna looked at them and smiled. She really did feel like she was talking to her brothers.

 

“Come on, guys. Let’s blow this place,” Dean said as he kicked the broken door away from the entrance where it used to hang.

 

They all walked through and into the crisp night air, walking side by side with Arianna in the middle. Dean placed a hand on Arianna’s unhurt shoulder as they made their way to the Impala parked in front of the small cabin.

 

“Hey, Ari,” he said with a smirk on his face.

 

“Yeah, Dean?” she said.

 

“You owe me twenty bucks,” he said, his smirk turning into a full blown smile.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel and Luke stared down the stone Roman soldier statues. The statues held their long swords out at their sides, aimed directly at the Archangel and human, and their large shields covered most of their bodies, leaving only their shins and sandaled feet visible.  

 

“What the hell are those things, Gabriel!?” Luke questioned urgently.

 

“Booby trap set within the warding of the blade. Breaking the warding brought them to life,” Gabriel answered quickly.

 

The soldiers began running towards Luke and Gabriel, their heavy stone feet sending crashing booms that echoed off the walls of the room every time they connected with the ground.

 

“Luke! MOVE!” Gabriel shouted as he shoved Luke out of the line of fire.

 

At the last second, Gabriel threw himself out of the way. He hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop before jumping to his feet. He gripped the Archangel blade in his hand and took a quick glance in Luke’s direction. he saw him jumping to his feet as well, still holding his angel blade. The two soldiers skidded to a halt with their stone feet scrapping loudly against the ground. One turned to face Gabriel while the other turned to face Luke before they both took off running to their intended victims.

 

Luke’s eyes widened as his brain processed what was happening. At the last possible second he dodged the soldier running towards him. He spun around and jabbed the angel blade into the back of the soldier. The moment the blade connected to the stone it shattered in his hand, and he had to duck and dodge the stone sword that was suddenly swinging toward his head as the soldier rounded on him.

 

“Gabriel! Don't use the Archangel blade! It will shatter it!” Luke shouted as he rolled out of the way of a stone shield coming down on him.

 

Luke’s warning came just in time as Gabriel was about to slam the Archangel blade into the chest of the soldier attacking him. He bent his arm and crashed himself into the soldier’s chest, sending them both to the floor. The soldier lost his grip on his sword for a moment and the stone blade came down on his face, causing a crack where the blade had connected with his face. Gabriel scrambled to his feet away from the soldier, and the crack caught his attention.

 

“Luke! I've got a crazy idea!” Gabriel said as the stone soldier lunged at him and he threw himself out of the way.

 

Luke was thrown into a wall, knocking the breath out of him. He dropped to his knees and rolled away, a stone sword crashing into the wall where his head was moments before.

 

“I'm all ears!” he said as he jumped to his feet again.

 

Gabriel jerked his body backwards into the wall as he narrowly missed a stone sword slicing through his stomach.

 

“Meet me in the absolute center of the room!” he shouted as he rolled along the wall, just barely missing being crushed by a stone shield.

 

“What!?” Luke choked out, throwing himself to the ground to avoid a stone sword to his head.

 

“If there was ever a time to trust me, Luke, it would be now!” Gabriel shouted as he jumped out of the way of the shield attempting to crush him again.

 

“Now!” Gabriel demanded as he stabilized himself on his feet again.

 

Both Gabriel and Luke ran to the center of the room and stood back to back. The soldiers turned on them.

 

“What now!?” Luke asked urgently as he watched the soldier across from him preparing to lunge.

 

“Stand still,” Gabriel said with confidence as he stared down his own soldier.

 

“What?!”

 

Both stone soldiers descended upon them with their swords posed to sink into their bodies. The distance between them was closing quickly.

 

“GABRIEL!” Luke shouted in a strangled cry.

 

The soldiers were halfway to them now.

 

“Trust me,” Gabriel said calmly.

 

When the stone soldiers were within striking distance Gabriel spun around and grabbed Luke by the shoulders. He roughly threw the both of them to the side and out of the way of the stone weapons hurtling towards them. They hit the ground harshly on their sides and they jerked their heads to the spot they had just been standing. Not having time to stop, the two soldiers ran each other through with their swords.

 

They froze with the stone blades protruding from their backs. Deep cracks began to fracture from where the stone blades exited their backs, and when the fractures had spread throughout their whole bodies, they crumbled into large piles of rubble.

 

It took them a moment to take in what had just happened. Luke let out a short relieved laugh as he rolled onto his back, looking up to the ceiling. Gabriel did the same.

 

“How did you know their swords would kill both of them?” Luke asked as the adrenaline rushing through his body subsided.

 

Gabriel chuckled. “The one that was attacking me got hit in the face with his sword when I tackled him, and his face cracked. So, I took a chance.”

 

All Luke could do was laugh at the nonchalance in Gabriel’s voice.

 

“Well I didn't expect to see this,” Jay said.

 

Luke and Gabriel quickly pushed themselves up into a sitting position, propping themselves up with their extended arms. They saw Jay and Castiel standing just inside the entrance of the room.

 

“You guys have the worst timing ever,” Luke said exasperated.

 

“Yeah, we really could have used the both of you like five minutes earlier,” Gabriel said as he got to his feet.

 

Gabriel extended his arm to Luke, who stared at the Archangel’s arm for a moment before he realized what was going on. He smiled and took the proffered arm, letting Gabriel help him to his feet.

 

“I don't know. Looks like you guys pretty much had it covered,” Jay said with a smirk.

 

“Yeah you didn't need us,” Castiel said.

 

Gabriel and Luke crossed their arms over their chests and glared at their brothers. Jay and Castiel’s eyes grew wide when they noticed the Archangel blade in Gabriel’s hand. The two quickly closed the distance to Luke and Gabriel.

 

“Gabriel! Is that...” Castiel asked, his voice trailing off.

 

Gabriel smiled and uncrossed his arms.

 

“It sure is!” he said as he extended the blade in Castiel’s direction.

 

Castiel took the Archangel blade from Gabriel. He looked at it closely as he turned it in his hand and then handed the blade to Jay. Jay smiled broadly as he closely examined the blade.

 

“Hell yeah!” Jay said as he looked at the other three men. “Show them what we found, Cas.”

 

“You guys found one too?” Luke asked excitedly.

 

“No, the crypt we went to was where our Michael hid his blade. I imagine that one is locked in the cage with him now,” Castiel said, and then reached into the pocket of his trench coat pulling out the golden box with Gabriel’s name inscribed in Enochian across the top. “We did find this though. It has your name on it Gabriel.” He held the box in Gabriel’s direction.

 

Gabriel stared at the box with questions in his eyes as he took it from Castiel.

 

“What is it?” Castiel asked.

 

Gabriel turned the box over in his hands as he examined every inch of it.

 

“I have no idea. I've never seen it before,” Gabriel said, trying and failing to open the box.

 

“Yeah, we couldn't get it open either,” Jay said.

 

“I guess we have one more thing to figure out,” Luke said, looking at the gold box in Gabriel’s hand.

 

Gabriel sighed and looked up at them.

 

“Ari, will be thrilled,” he said sarcastically.

 

“Is it just me or does it seem like every time we figure one thing out, two more problems get thrown into the mix?” Jay asked with exasperation.

 

“Welcome to my world,” Castiel said sarcastically.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna sat between Sam and Dean on the couch in Dean’s “man cave.” It was two in the morning, and all three sat in the same position with their arms at their sides, heads leaning against the back of the couch. None had bothered to change their clothes since arriving back at the bunker ten minutes earlier.

 

Their sore muscles screamed at them. The bruises on Sam and Dean’s necks throbbed painfully, and Arianna's swollen and bruised face, along with the gashes in her shoulder, hurt just as badly. They sat together in comfortable silence, feeling exhausted.Arianna absentmindedly rolled up the sleeves of the shirt Dean had given her to wear, revealing the bruised marks on her wrists and rested one arm across her stomach. Dean glanced over and inwardly cringed as he took in all of her injuries.  

 

“Gabe and your brothers are never going to let you go anywhere with us ever again,” he said.

 

Arianna held her arm up from her stomach to look at the bloodied bruise on her wrist.

 

“They’ll get over it,” she said, letting it fall back to her stomach.

 

Sam chuckled. “Somehow I doubt that.”

 

“Little sister! We’re home and we have a surprise!” came Jay’s excited voice from somewhere in the bunker.

 

“Speak of the devil,” Arianna said with a weak smile.

 

“We’re in the man cave!” Dean called loudly.

 

A minute later Jay, Castiel, Luke, and Gabriel filed into the room. They were all smiling triumphantly as they entered until they saw the state of the three hunters sitting on the couch. Their faces instantly fell, worry claiming their expressions.

 

“What the hell happened to you guys?!” Jay demanded.

 

Gabriel quickly dropped to his knees in front on Arianna, placing his hands on her arms so he could gently pull her to sit up straight. His actions caused pain to shoot through her shoulder and she winced. He took her chin in his index finger and thumb, softly turning her head side to side.

 

“How did a werewolf get the jump on you this bad?” he asked softly as his eyes met hers.

 

“We were wrong. Wasn't a werewolf,” Dean said, pushing himself to sit up straight.

 

Gabriel ran his fingers lightly over the marks on Arianna’s wrists and anger flashed through his whiskey eyes. He saw the blood stain on the shoulder of the shirt she was wearing and gently pushed the neck of it aside to look at the gashes.

 

“It was something called a Wakwak,” Sam said, cautiously taking in the anger in Gabriel’s eyes.

 

“A what what?” Jay asked in confused anger.

 

“A Wakwak. One of those nasty sons of bitches Remy took out in Jersey last year. The ugly ass things that eat human hearts, remember Jay? He told us about it one time when we were all at Edmee’s,” Luke answered, trying to stay calm, but his eyes showed his anger.

 

Jay nodded not knowing what else to say. The sight of his sister was making him more heated by the second.

 

Gabriel turned livid eyes on Dean.

 

“Where the hell were you two dunderheads when this was happening to her?” he almost growled.

 

Arianna reached her hand up and turned Gabriel’s face back towards her. His expression immediately softened.

 

“Stow your anger, please,” she said, looking into his eyes.

 

Arianna looked up to her brothers expecting the same looks of rage to be reflected back at her, and was surprised that even Castiel looked incensed.

 

“All of you put it away too. This was not their fault. I was the one who found the case. I was the one who talked Sam and Dean into going, and I was the one who didn't listen to my instincts. If it wasn't for Sam and Dean, _especially_ Dean, I wouldn't be sitting here right now, and you all would be having a much different conversation,” she said calmly.

 

She watched as the anger left their eyes, and they all nodded in agreement. When she looked back to Gabriel, she saw him looking at the shirt she was wearing. She could see a hint of jealousy in his eyes when he met hers.

 

“Why are you wearing Dean’s shirt?” Gabriel asked.

 

“He was being nice,” she said shortly.

 

“Ari you haven't told them the best part!” Sam said ,sitting up straight and smiling.

 

“Yeah!” Dean said with enthusiasm. “We may have distracted the thing from Ari, but she's the one that kicked its ass! She smote the damn thing!”

 

All shocked eyes were on Arianna now.

 

“Like using her powers smote?” Luke asked, matching Dean’s enthusiasm.

 

“Yeah, I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. Healing is still an issue obviously, but I got the fighting thing down now. Look!” Arianna said proudly.

 

Arianna looked around the room and her eyes landed on a plastic cup sitting on a coffee table in the middle of the room. When she pointed her palm towards it, the cup went flying across the room with such force that it smashed into a nearby wall.

 

“Ari, that's fantastic!!” Gabriel exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. When he felt her tense up he pulled away, suddenly remembering her injuries. “I'm so sorry!” he said quickly.

 

Gabriel placed two fingers to her temple, and with a rush of warmth through her whole body, all of her injuries were gone.

 

“Arianna that’s really amazing!” Castiel said, beaming at her.

 

“Yeah, sis, I'm super proud of you!” Luke praised.

 

“Same here!” Jay agreed

 

Arianna smiled. “Thanks guys. Now, there was mention of a surprise?” she questioned.

 

“Oh yeah!! Gabe show her!” Luke said with renewed enthusiasm.

 

Arianna looked at Gabriel questioningly, and she was met with an accomplished smile as he reached into his leather jacket and pulled out the Archangel blade. Arianna, Sam, and Dean all gasped. Sam and Dean leaned in closer to get a better look while Arianna cautiously took the blade from Gabriel’s hand. When she wrapped her hand around the blade’s handle and held it up to the light, she felt her power surge within her. She knew without a doubt that Apocalypse World Gabriel had been right about the blade being able to work in her hand to kill an Archangel.

 

“That's not all we found either,” Jay said.

 

“What else did you find?” Sam asked.

 

“Show them, Castiel,” Gabriel said, rising to his feet and moving to stand next to Luke.

 

Castiel nodded and walked towards Arianna as he took the gold box he and Jay had found from an inside pocket of his trench coat. Arianna, Sam, and Dean’s eyes grew wide with amazement when they saw it. Arianna handed the Archangel blade to Dean as Castiel held the box in front of her. She took it from his hands and sat it in her lap, tracing her fingers around the edges of the box, then the Enochian lettering that was engraved into the top.

 

“Why does it have your name on it?” she asked Gabriel.

 

“I don't know. None of us even know what it is. Have you ever seen anything like it?” he answered.

 

Arianna looked back to the box, running her fingers lightly over Gabriel’s name.

 

“No, I have no idea what it is either.” She then tried, and failed, to open it. “Does it open?” she asked, looking at the men in front of her.

 

“We all tried and couldn't,” Luke said.

 

Arianna stared at the box in her hands.

 

“Edmee might know something. We can call her tomorrow and ask,” Jay suggested.

 

Arianna nodded, not taking her eyes away from the golden object in her hands.

 

“Great! Another mystery!” Dean said in exasperation as he leaned back on the couch with the Archangel blade in his lap.

 

“At least this one isn't trying to kill us,” Luke said.

 

Dean scoffed. “Not yet anyway.”

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna walked into her bedroom at the bunker and shut the door behind her. She leaned against the door for a moment before she dragged herself to her bed and collapsed on it face-first. She dangled her feet off the end of the bed by her ankles and kicked off her shoes, still feeling exhausted despite Gabriel healing her physical wounds earlier. It wasn’t often that a case was completed in one day, but this one had, and it made the day a long one. All she wanted to do was sleep, but a knock at her door told her it was going to be a while before that would happen. She rolled over onto her back and pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed.

 

“Yeah?” she called.

 

Her door opened and in walked Luke and Jay. She smiled at them as they took a seat on either side of her on the bed. They sat there for a moment in silence before Luke repositioned himself at the head of the left side of the bed, his back leaning against the wall. Following Luke’s lead, Arianna and Jay did the same, with Arianna in the middle of her older brothers. The comfortable silence continued for a few more minutes before Arianna finally spoke.

 

“So how was y’all’s trips out of the country?” she asked.

 

“Other than finding that weird box, the crypt was kinda boring. I was really thinking I would finally get to fight a zombie. That would have been cool,” Jay said playfully.

 

Luke and Arianna laughed.

 

“Gabriel and I kinda bonded today,” Luke said.

 

Arianna and Jay looked at him with surprise.

 

“What?! I've been really cool towards the angel since the night we fought Michael,” Luke said defensively.

 

Arianna and Jay laughed again.

 

“Yeah, but you still glare at him every morning he comes out of my room with me,” Arianna said.

 

“To be fair, neither of us are ever going to be a hundred percent cool with _anyone_ boning our baby sister,” Jay interjected.

 

“Fair enough,” Arianna said, smiling.

 

“You could do worse than Gabriel though, and you have,” Luke said

 

Arianna laughed. “You got me there. So, what did you two bond over?” she asked.

 

“Near death experience and you,” Luke said matter of factly.

 

“What?!” Arianna almost shouted.

 

“Yeah, when Gabriel broke the warding around the blade, these two stone statues of Roman soldiers came to life and tried to crush us. Gabriel figured out how to get them to beat themselves,” Luke said, not changing his aloof tone.

 

“And the part about me?” Arianna demanded.

 

“Oh yeah, that,” Luke said with a grin.

 

“Yeah, that!” Arianna said impatiently.

 

“I can't tell ya that. Bro code and all,” Luke said, his grin growing bigger.

 

Arianna hastily pushed herself to sit on her knees and face him.

 

“Bro code my ass! Spill!” Arianna demanded.

 

Luke laughed. “Calm down, Ari! It was just a big brother to his little sister’s boyfriend conversation. But, I got the feeling there are certain conversations the two of you need to have.”

 

Arianna relaxed her frustrated demeanor and resumed her position of leaning against the wall.

 

“I know. Dean and I talked about that today too,” she said with a sigh.

 

“Ya know, it says a lot about our lives that none of us batted an eye over the fact that two statues came to life,” Jay said with a smirk.

 

“Our lives our strange,” Luke remarked.

 

“At least it’s not boring,” Arianna concluded.

 

Luke and Jay silently nodded in agreement, another comfortable silence settling among them, and they each took comfort in just being with their siblings. They all knew the stakes and severity of the situation hanging over their heads, but the lighthearted conversation and company had been something none of them realized they had needed until it happened. They sat in silence until a knock came at Arianna’s door.

 

“Come in,” Arianna called.

 

They watched as the door opened and Gabriel walked in.

 

“Am I interrupting something?” he asked, smiling at them.

 

“Nah, Jay and I were just leaving,” Luke said.

 

Luke and Jay took turns giving Arianna a one armed hug and got up from her bed.

 

“Night, sis!” they said together as they exited the room, closing the door on their way out.

 

Keeping the smile on his face, Gabriel walked over to the bed and sat down and leaned against the wall beside her, wrapping an arm around her to pull her close to him. She nuzzled into him and wrapped her arms around his waist as he reached up to run his fingers through her hair.

 

“How are you feeling?” he asked softly.

 

“Tired. The past twenty four hours feel like they lasted a year.”

 

“I agree with that.”

 

“I heard you and Luke had a run in with some pissed off statues,” she said, smiling.

 

Gabriel laughed. “Yeah, those jerks were a pain in the ass. So, exactly how did you end up in the state you were in when I got here?”

 

“The Wakwak ended up being the Sheriff, and we thought it was this guy that owned the bar that all the victims were at the night they died. I went with the Sheriff to his patrol car, and made Sam and Dean stay behind. Once we were alone, I realized what he was a few seconds too late, and he got me and knocked me out. When I woke up, I was tied to a table. He asked me why I smelled different than any other human, and I spit in his face. That was when he punched me and asked me again. So I said bite me, and he did. That's about the time Sam and Dean kicked the door in.”

 

Gabriel’s body stiffened at her story. He tried to stay as calm as she did when she told him what had happened, but his concern was evident in his voice.

 

“Why didn't you call for me when he had you tied to a table?” he asked.

 

“I did, but he smelled you and Cas on me. While I was knocked out, he warded the cabin he brought me to so no prayers could get out,” she explained.

 

When she didn't feel his body relax, she raised her head and pulled away just enough to look at him and place a hand lovingly on the side of his face. She made sure to stay close enough to keep his arm around her.

 

“Gabe, I'm okay. Yeah, I got hurt, but I'm a hunter. It comes with the territory,” she said as reassuring as she could.

 

Finally, she felt his body relax and she let her hand fall from his face to his chest. He reached up with his free hand and linked his fingers with hers.

 

“Doesn't mean I have to like it,” he said, smiling.

 

Arianna rolled her eyes and laughed.

 

“Okay, I'll give you that,” She said, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

 

Gabriel released her hand and tugged gently on the sleeve of the shirt she was wearing.

 

Dean’s shirt.

 

“Are you gonna tell me how you ended up in that shirt?” he asked with a smirk

 

For reasons that didn't quite click in her head at the moment, his question sent a strong jolt of anger through her. She jerked away from him as fury flashed through her sapphire blue eyes. His own widened in surprise when he saw her reaction to his question.

 

“Why the hell does that even matter?!” she snapped at him.

 

Her sudden outburst had thrown him off greatly, and it took him a second to respond.

 

“Whoa! I didn't mean anything by it! I swear! I was just asking out of curiosity!” he said defensively, holding his hands up in a surrender pose.

 

She crossed her arms over her chest, her ire still shining in her eyes.

 

“Bullshit, Gabe. That's the second time you've asked,” she said angrily.

 

He stared at her for a second, not entirely sure how they ended up in this heated discussion.

 

“Okay I admit, it sparked a little jealousy in me seeing you in another man’s shirt. I'm sorry,” he said cautiously.

 

“Why were you jealous?” she asked with displeasure dripping in her voice.

 

Gabriel blinked at her in confusion.

 

“Seriously, Ari?!”

 

Arianna quickly crawled out of the bed to stand next to where he sat. She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked down at him.

 

“What reason do you have to be jealous, Gabriel?”

 

His mouth dropped open in pure astonishment. He almost started to get angry, but then the conversation he had had with Luke earlier ran through his mind. He turned and swung his legs over the side of the bed to look up at her.

 

“Do we need to talk?” he asked, calmly looking into her eyes.

 

“About what?” she snapped.

 

“About what this is between us,” he said, his gaze never leaving hers.

 

Arianna’s own conversation with Dean from earlier came crashing down on her like ice water to the face, making all of her anger vanish. She suddenly realized she was being pretty unreasonable in her reaction to his question about the shirt. She sighed and sat down on the bed next to him and rested her elbows on her knees, putting her head in her hands.

 

“Yes. I guess. I don't know. I know how ridiculous this conversation must be to you,” she said.

 

“Why would you wanting to know if you’re wasting your time be ridiculous to me?”

 

“Because you're an Archangel,” she answered as she raised her head to look at him, letting her arms fall to her sides.

 

“That's what I am, not who I am.”

 

She gave a weak smile and turned her eyes back to the ground.

 

“Come here,” Gabriel said, pulling her to sit on his lap facing him, her legs bent at the knee on either side of him on the bed. He slipped his hands around her waist as she clasped hers around the back on his neck, and he looked into her eyes, smiling comfortingly at her.

 

“I'm new to this whole relationship thing. There are some things you are just going to have to spell out to me. Please don't hesitate to talk to me about anything, because if it’s important to you, then it’s important to me,” he said reassuringly.

 

She finally gave him a half smile.

 

“So...this is a relationship?” she asked.

 

Gabriel chuckled and moved one of his hands to stroke her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

 

“Whatever you want to call it. A relationship, a partnership, bonded, whatever. As long as it means that you're mine and I'm yours,” he said.

 

“Let’s go with relationship. It might be easier to explain than bonded,” she said with a chuckle of her own.

 

“Works for me,” he said, and kissed her on the lips.

 

Arianna pulled away smiling and looked in his eyes. The love she saw there almost took her breath away. But then the other part of her conversation with Dean came to her and the smile faded. Gabriel saw it immediately.

 

“What else is on your mind?” he asked softly.

 

Arianna wasn’t sure if she was ready for this part of the conversation and sighed deeply. She looked away from him to stare at the blanket on the bed.  

 

“What happens when you leave me?” she almost whispered

 

When he didn't respond after a couple seconds, she looked back to him and let out a nervous laugh at the utter look of confusion on his face. He definitely hadn't been expecting that question. She watched his mouth slightly open and close as he tried to figure out how to respond, making her anxiety shoot through her.

 

“Where did...how did we go from being in a relationship to me leaving you? I'm not going anywhere,” he said, genuinely perplexed by the turn of the conversation.

 

Arianna sighed again as she got off of his lap and moved to stand against the wall by the bed. Gabriel’s eyes never left her as she moved.

 

“I'm not saying it’s going to happen anytime soon. You've made it clear that you love me and that you are going to stand beside me. But I'm not an idiot, Gabe. You're an angel, an Archangel, and I'm...well, I'm not quite sure what I am anymore, but the fact remains that you don't age or die unless an Archangel uses an Archangel blade on you, or you get deep fried with some holy oil. I, on the other hand, am going to age; I'm eventually going to die. One of these days you won't have any choice but to leave me,” Arianna said, staring at her feet.

 

Tears began to fill her eyes in the moment of silence that fell between them. When Gabriel chuckled, her eyes shot to his.

 

“You haven't realized it yet, have you? I knew I should have brought it up, but the night of Dylan’s funeral Edmee asked Castiel and me not to mention it until you had had time to get used to the rest of the changes that you were going through,” he said.

 

The confusion that had been on Gabriel’s face moments earlier was now on Arianna’s.

 

“Realized what?” she asked slowly.

 

“Ari, when your Guardian powers were awakened you stopped ageing.”

 

“I what?!” she half shouted.

 

Gabriel stood from the bed and walked to where she stood against the wall, putting his hand on her hips.

 

“You stopped ageing, Sugar,” he said with a smile.

 

All she could do was stare into his face as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept.

 

“I don't even know what to do with that information,” she said.

 

“I know, it’s a big thing to wrap your head around. That’s why Edmee wanted to wait, but considering the ageing thing was giving you doubt, I figured you needed to know. Are you OK?”

 

“I guess I have to be. It’s just going to take some time to get used to the idea.”

 

Gabriel smiled at her.

 

“That's my girl. Even if it wasn't the case though, you ageing wouldn't be an issue to me. I'm not in love with what you look like, I'm in love with who you are. Besides, if Morph and his _human_ wife can make it work, then so could we.”

 

“Yeah, but it was an option for Morph and Clara to get married too,” Arianna said with disappointment.

 

Her eyes widened in shock as soon as the words had left her mouth. They had barely even known each other two months and they had just decided exactly what their relationship was, she hadn’t meant to let that slip. She braced herself for the freak out she just knew was coming, and was surprised when the smile on his face didn't falter.

 

“Is that important to you?” he simply asked.

 

“I...uh...I don’t know. I’ve never even considered finding someone I would be willing to make that commitment to until now. Does it even matter though? It’s not really an option for us,” she said nervously.

 

“Of course it matters. All things considered, no, a traditional marriage really wouldn't be an option for us, but there are other options of committing and bonding to each other when we are both ready for that step,” he said matter-of-factly.

 

“There is only one option for an angel and you know it, Gabe,” Arianna said, trying to hide her disappointment. “And I don't see God-er-Chuck, giving us a hand with the shit show raining down on us, much less dropping by to give you permission for a Heaven’s Bond. Not to mention the time, effort, and dedication it would take to intertwine your grace with my soul if by some miracle your father _did_ show up _and_ give us permission. Oh, and nothing in Heaven, Hell, or Earth has ever seen the bonding rings needed to even start the whole process.” Her disappointment was clear by the time she finished.

 

“I should have known you would know about a Heaven’s Bond,” he said, his smile turning into a smirk.

 

“Or course I know. I honestly thought it was a myth until recently. I didn't think it was possible for any angel to fall in love.”

 

“Well this one did, and it’s definitely not a myth.”

 

Arianna smiled when he kissed her lips.

 

“And for the record, getting my father’s _permission_ isn't really important to me. He didn't lift a finger to do a damn thing while I was being tortured and fed off of for seven years. Why would I care anything about his opinion on who I spend my life with and how I make that commitment to them? The only peoples’ permission I would be concerned with getting besides yours is your brothers’, Edmee’s, and Remy’s. We will find another option when we are both ready for that. There are thousands of commitment and marriage ceremonies out there. If you think, for one second, that Morph wouldn't be all over performing a God’s Union for us, you're out of your mind. He would have you wrapped up in an Aphrodite style dress so fast, your head would spin.”

 

Arianna smiled weakly.

 

“Yeah, but that technically wouldn't be considered real,” she said.

 

“So? The only two it needs to be real to is you and me. Everyone and everything else can go to hell.”

 

Arianna wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. Gabriel’s arms wrapped around her waist as he pressed his body to hers. He broke the kiss and touched his forehead to hers, looking into her eyes.

 

“Have I calmed your fears?” he asked.

 

She smiled and at nodded.

 

“Will you be mine, Ari?”

 

“Always. Will you be mine, Gabriel?”

 

“Forever,” he said, and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss full of love and passion.

 

Gabriel’s lips moved from hers and down her jawline to her neck. He slipped his hands in between their bodies and unbuttoned the first three buttons of the shirt she was wearing. His lips traveled across her collar bone down to the valley between her breasts, pulling moans from her as he went.

 

As he got to his knees, he popped a couple more buttons open, placing light kisses and nips along the newly exposed skin, making her shudder and whisper his name. Her hands tangled in his hair as he continued his descent. Slowly, one button at a time, followed by more kisses and nips, he made it to the last button. Gabriel smiled into the skin just above the waistband on her jeans when he saw her push the shirt from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. As he undid the button of her jeans, she unhooked her bra and took it off, letting it fall to the floor with her shirt.

 

Her hands were back in his hair when Gabriel unzipped her jeans and hooked his fingers in the sides to slowly pull them down her legs along with her thong. When both were pooled around her ankles, she stepped out of them and he threw them to the side. He trailed kisses, biting here and there, up her legs and to the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. She spread her legs slightly, granting him better access to where she wanted his mouth and tongue, moaning his name.

 

His hands glided up her legs and to her hips as his tongue slipped out and barely traced her folds, causing her legs to shake, and a whimper escaped her lips. When his tongue swirled around her sensitive nub, her knees almost buckled as she screamed his name. His tongue swirled her clit again before he went back to her folds to lap at her entrance. When his tongue pushed into her, her knees all but gave out and he tightened his grip on her hips, holding her against the wall.

 

With one swift movement he ran one hand down from her hip to the back of her knee, and lifted her leg onto his shoulder while he kept his other hand firmly on her hip to support her. Her hands fisted in his hair and she pulled his face closer as he sucked her clit into his mouth and he lightly trailed his fingers along the underside of her thigh. When his fingers brushed against her folds she involuntarily bucked her hips.

 

Still sucking and swirling his tongue around her clit, he pushed two of his fingers inside of her and began a slow steady rhythm, pumping them in and out of her.

 

“Fuck! Oh Gabriel!” she moaned loudly as he sped up the pace of his fingers.

 

He added another finger and quickened his pace again. She was bucking and moaning his name, practically screaming as she begged him not to stop. The expert work of his tongue and fingers were pushing her closer and closer to the edge. He felt her walls start to tighten around his fingers and he increased his speed again to where his fingers were pounding in and out of her, making her scream his name again.

 

“Gabriel! Fuck, Gabriel! Please don't stop!” she screamed again.

 

With a few more hard fast thrusts from his fingers and his tongue now flicking her clit at the same pace, her climax slammed into her. She was screaming his name as stars erupted in her vision. He kept up the pace with his fingers and swirled his tongue around her clit as he felt her walls constrict around his fingers. Even as she started to come down from her mind blowing orgasm, he kept going, pushing her toward another one before she could recover from the last. It wasn't long until she was screaming his name again as another intense orgasm rocked her whole body.

 

As her second orgasm faded he slowed his movements, giving her a minute to catch her breath. He removed his tongue and fingers from her, and when he was sure she could stand on her own again, he removed her leg from his shoulder, guiding her foot back to the floor. With a snap of his fingers, his clothes were removed and lying with Arianna’s jeans where he had thrown them aside earlier.

 

Moving his hands back to her hips, he stood up and captured her lips with his. Her hands were still in his hair and she desperately pulled him closer as she opened her mouth, and he wasted no time twisting his tongue with hers. She could feel his rock hard cock between them, making her roll her hips into him. He pulled his hips from hers just enough to slip a hand between her legs.

 

With one finger her traced the outline of her entrance, and she moaned into his mouth, bucking into his hand, desperate for more pressure. His finger moved to ghost over her clit, making her whimper. He added a second finger as he traced from it back down to her entrance. He quickly pushed his fingers into her and immediately started to thrust hard and fast. She broke the kiss and dropped her head to his shoulder, screaming his name.

 

As he continued pounding his fingers into her she sucked, bit, and kissed the sensitive skin of his neck. She let her hands fall to his shoulders and ran her hands along where the base of his wings would have been had they been visible. He shivered and moaned her name at the sensation she caused in him with her actions. The second he added a third finger into her, she exploded into another orgasm, and he finger-fucked her all the way through it.

 

He removed his hand to slide it behind her thigh, then moved his other hand into the same position on her other thigh. He then effortlessly lifted her off the ground and wrapped her legs around his waist, slamming his rock hard member into her to the hilt as he did. They both moaned at the connection, and he held onto her thighs as he readied himself to move within her.

 

“You feel so good, Arianna,” he said in a deep husky voice as he began to thrust into her.

 

He kept his pace as he dipped his head to her breast, pulling one of the nipples into his mouth, sucking and biting down on the hardened nub. She added more pressure to where the base of his wings would be, and he growled his approval as he started pounding into her. Moans and screams of their names fell from both their lips. He could feel her velvet walls starting to clench around him and he sped up the speed of his thrusts. He licked and kissed his way back to her lips, kissing her fiercely.

 

“Come for me, Arianna,” he said in a breathless whisper when he broke the kiss

 

One more hard thrust and she was riding the wave of her orgasm again, screaming his name all while continuing to massage the base of his invisible wings. The combination of her screaming his name, her tight walls clenching his cock, and her hands showing his most sensitive area attention hurled him into his own earth shattering orgasm, shouting her name. He kept up the speed of his thrusts, guiding the both of them through their orgasms until they had both come down from the high. He slowed and stilled inside of her.

 

They stood there for a moment, both their heads on the other’s shoulder, panting. Gabriel slowly pulled himself from her and carried her to the bed. As he laid her on the bed, she caught his lips in a loving kiss. He broke the kiss and finished laying her down. She scooted over and rolled onto her side, looking up at him smiling. He smiled back at her as he laid on the bed on his side as well, facing her. Without any hesitation, he pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. Her lips found his as her arm snaked around his waist. The kiss was slow and sweet, and his hands rubbed up and down her back as they kissed.

 

As they basked in their afterglow, no one heard the soft hum of vibration emitting from the golden box that sat on top of the table in the library. Everyone was retired for the night, so no one was around to see the Enochian lettering that spelled out ‘Gabriel’ glow brightly and pulse like a heartbeat.

 

The light then disappeared, and the room went quiet as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so very much for reading. The reactions to this story have truly been heartwarming. Thank you so very much! Chapter 6 will be up soon!


	6. Family Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the death of their late father's best friend, the Lawson siblings return to their hometown for the funeral with the Winchesters and Gabriel. What they end up discovering though, is something they never saw coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny bit of smut in this chapter.

**Chapter 6: Family Ties**

  
  


Matt Morris opened the door to his basement and calmly made his way down, clutching a bulging envelope that was thick with the contents inside. He was in his early sixties, and his face showed his age. Deep laugh lines creased his face, and crow’s feet wrinkled the corners of his light green eyes, which darted from side to side as he descended to the bottom of the stairs.

 

The light coming from the open door at the top of the stairs glinted off his salt and pepper gray hair and fell on fifteen large cardboard boxes stacked neatly in the corner of his basement. He walked over to the pile and pulled the top one off and placed it on the ground. He kneeled in front of the box to carefully remove the tape holding the flaps closed before opening it, then slid the envelope inside to hide it amongst the photo albums and pictures frames inside. He then folded the flaps closed and stood back to his feet.  

 

When he turned to ascend the stairs, he heard the sound of rustling wings somewhere close to him, and recognized it instantly. His eyes scanned the basement for his visitor and they landed on a figure of a man standing in the shadows near him. The man made sure to stay out of the beam of light coming from the open door at the top of the stairs.

 

“I've been expecting you,” Matt said with a knowing calm.

 

“I suppose you have,” the unknown man said, matching his calm.

 

“I don't know where they are. I haven't for quite some time,” Matt said, peering into the dark at his visitor.

 

The shadowed man sighed. “I know. But, they will come running when you die.”

 

“They will come ready to destroy you. They will know it was your kind that did it,” Matt said, the first hint of anger creeping into his voice.

 

“That is why I will make it look like natural causes.” There was a desperate air in the shadowed man’s voice.

 

Matt closed his eyes as an obsidian-skinned toned human hand reached out from the darkness and landed lightly on his shoulder. He felt invisible hands squeeze his heart in his chest and his breathing became shallow. With his vision blurring and the room around him beginning to spin, he fell to his knees and out of the hand’s grasp. He clutched at his chest as he struggled to breathe. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and he fell to the ground lying next to the box he had put his envelope in. As darkness crept into his vision, he looked at the three names written in magic marker on the side of the box. Time had taken its toll on the three names, but it was still clearly visible that the box read: Luke, Jay, Arianna.

 

“I'm sorry,” Matt whispered, then death overtook him.

 

* * *

 

The library of the bunker was quiet except for the tapping of laptop keys and the occasional turning of a page in a book. Sam and Dean were sitting at one of the tables, intently going back and forth between research and news articles, searching for signs of angel activity and attempting to find something out about the golden mystery box that Jay and Castiel had found. Gabriel was turning it in his hands as he read from an old worn and tattered book from Arianna’s collection of angel lore. All three had been sitting in the same position at the table since morning. Arianna, Luke, and Castiel had started with them, but hunger, frustration, and phone calls had pulled each away from the room. 

 

Luke and Jay had left to the kitchen with the purpose of throwing together some kind of breakfast with the bunker’s dwindling food supply, and had realized quickly that a trip to the local grocery store was in order if anyone was going to eat. Not long after they departed, Edmee had called Arianna asking if she could send Castiel her way. Since he was getting annoyed at finding nothing new about their situation, the angel welcomed the distraction and teleported away quickly. After the angel had gone, Arianna then aimlessly walked out of the library, continuing her conversation with Edmee.

 

So the three sat, silently continuing their efforts, desperately wishing, and secretly praying, that they would uncover something, anything, that would lead them to some sort of progression. With a disgruntled growl, Gabriel tossed the gold box into the middle of the table where it landed with a loud bang, pulling Sam and Dean’s attention to him.

 

“This is pointless!” Gabriel said in frustration. “There’s nothing in anything we have on this stupid box.”

 

“You might not want to throw that thing. For all we know it's a freaking bomb just waiting to go off,” Dean said.

 

Gabriel rolled his eyes and looked in Dean’s direction.

 

“At least then we would know what the hell it is,” Gabriel said sarcastically.

 

“I’d rather not get blown up just to find out,” Dean said, shutting his laptop and rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Where the hell are Luke and Jay? I'm starving.” 

 

Sam glanced at his watch as he shut his laptop.

 

“They’ve only been gone forty-five minutes, Dean.”

 

Dean leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes at his brother. He opened his mouth for a witty comeback but Arianna entered the Library, and the irritated look on her face made him forget.

 

“What’s wrong, Ari?” he asked.

 

Sam and Gabriel turned to look at her as she walked over to the table and sat down in a chair next to Gabriel. She angrily huffed and tossed her phone onto the table.

 

“Edmee has no clue what the hell this thing is either,” she said, gesturing toward the box on the table with her hand. “She said she did sense that it wasn't a weapon. So, I guess that’s a plus. We don't have to worry about something popping out of it and trying to kill us.”

 

“I still don't trust the thing,” Dean remarked, staring at the box.

 

“None of us do,” Sam said, opening his laptop and continuing his task from earlier.

 

“Anything on Michael?” Arianna asked.

 

Sam peered up over his laptop screen at her.

 

“Not really. Nothing monster related either. The only thing out of the ordinary I’ve found is that Joel Harris guy that went missing. Remember, the one I told you about last week? They found his car with his wallet in the mountains near Knoxville, Tennessee this morning. Still doesn't look like our kinda thing though. I mean, it’s weird that his car showed up over seven hundred miles from where he went missing from, but there isn't anything that screams angel or monster about it,” Sam explained.

 

“Knoxville? Isn't that close to where you, Luke, and Jay are from?” Gabriel asked, turning his head toward Arianna.

 

“Yeah, about thirty minutes actually,” Arianna answered.

 

“Got anyone up there you can call and ask to see if anything strange happened, just to make sure it’s not our kinda thing?” Dean asked.

 

“Yeah, we have a family friend that Jay could get in touch with. Do you really think this could be something? Sam just said there was nothing our kind of weird about it,” Arianna said.

 

“It might be worth a phone call. With it so close to your hometown, we might not want to overlook it,” Gabriel interjected.

 

“Gabe’s right. I’ll admit, it may not look like our kind of thing, but we’ve went further for less. A phone call wouldn't hurt,” Sam said.

 

Arianna nodded and picked up her phone. She pulled up Jay’s name and opened up a text window and quickly typed out a message.

 

_ Hey would you give Steven Harris a call and see if he’s heard anything strange about a Joel Harris? The guy went missing over a week ago from Central Florida and they found his car this morning in the mountains near Knoxville. _

 

She hit send and they waited on the reply that came thirty seconds later.

 

_ Sure. You think it has something to do with us? _

 

Arianna hit reply and typed out another message.

 

_ Not sure, probably not, just want to have our bases covered just in case. _

 

She hit send and in another thirty seconds she got a reply.

 

_ I’ll call Steven now. Luke and I are pulling into the garage. _

 

Arianna laid her phone on the table and looked back to the waiting eyes that were looking at her.

 

“He’s going to make the call. They just pulled into the garage too,” she said.

 

“Finally!” Dean said, and stood up from his chair, striding out of the library towards the garage. 

 

* * *

 

Twenty minutes later, all the groceries that had been bought had been put away, and a meal was quickly planned. Dean and Arianna stood at the kitchen island with a carton of eggs, milk, salt, pepper, two glass bowls, and a whisk, all laid out on the counter before them. Luke, Sam, and Gabriel looked on with amusement as they watched the two of them bicker back and forth. Arianna had cracked six eggs into one of the bowls and was about to add milk.

 

“What are you doing?! You don't put milk in eggs!” Dean said in disgust.

 

“You do in scrambled eggs!” Arianna shot back, setting the milk back on the counter.

 

“Why?! And who eats scrambled eggs anyway? Fried eggs are so much better!”

 

“The milk makes them fluffy and gives them a richer flavor! And not everyone likes to eat a ball of grease with their eggs, Dean! Don't you get enough grease with the bacon?”

 

“No! The more grease the better it tastes! And milk in eggs?! I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous!”

 

“Says the guy who eats cold, week-old Chinese food! I'm  _ really _ going to trust your pallet!”

 

“Cold Chinese food is delicious!”

 

“Not when it’s a week old and makes the fridge smell like a gym locker!”

 

“Whatever! Still doesn't constitute milk in scrambled eggs!” Dean turned towards the men sitting at the table. “Come on guys, a little help here!”

 

Arianna narrowed her eyes at the three of them, daring them to get involved. Their amused looks dropped from their faces under her glare.

 

“I like Ari’s eggs,” Luke said simply.

 

Sam looked around like he hadn't heard his brother. Dean scoffed and looked to Gabriel.

 

“Come on, Gabe. You are probably the only angel in existence that could settle this!”

 

Gabriel’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between Dean and Arianna. The look on Arianna’s face told him exactly what his answer should be.

 

“Sorry Dean-o, gotta go with my girl on this one,” he answered, smiling at Arianna.

 

Arianna smiled triumphantly at Dean as he looked at Gabriel dejectedly.

 

“Really, Gabriel?! You're gonna do me like that?” Dean asked, pretending to be hurt.

 

Gabriel smiled and shrugged.

 

“Sorry man, I like getting laid,” Gabriel said.

 

“DUDE!” Luke shouted, staring at Gabriel.

 

The entire room erupted in laughter. Luke tried to keep an angry look on his face, but the others’ laughter was contagious, and he quickly gave in and joined in with his own.

 

“You know, the two of you really were fighting like brother and sister there for a minute,” Luke observed as he tried to calm his laughter.

 

The two cooks looked at each other, grinning broadly. Dean then wrapped an arm around Arianna’s shoulders in a one-armed hug.

 

“Yeah, I guess I’ll admit to adopting her as my little sister. Even if she doesn't know how to make eggs right,” he said jokingly.

 

“I guess I’ll claim him too. Even if he wouldn't know good food if it was thrown at him,” Arianna said, looking up at him. “You too, Sam,” she added, turning her gaze to smile at Sam.

 

Sam smiled brightly.

 

“Love you too, Ari,” he said with a chuckle.

 

Arianna’s smile faded when she saw Jay come into the room. His distraught eyes met hers instantly. She could tell he was fighting hard to keep tears from falling. 

 

“Jay, what’s wrong?” she asked, pulling away from Dean.

 

Everyone in the room looked to Jay. He stared at his sister for a moment trying to figure out how to utter the words he didn't want to say.

 

“Steven’s dad died last night,” he said, his voice cracking slightly at the end.

 

“Matt’s dead?! What happened?” Luke asked urgently.

 

“The doctors think it was a heart attack. Steven found him this morning in the basement. He’s having an autopsy done, but it will be a few days before he hears anything back,” Jay said.

 

Arianna ran to her brother and threw her arms around his neck. He automatically wrapped his arms around her waist and let silent tears fall as he buried his face in her shoulder.

 

“Who are these two to you guys?” Sam asked Luke sympathetically.

 

“Matt was our dad’s best friend. He tried to take Ari in after Mom and Dad died, but it didn't take very long for us to go off with Eric after his leg was healed,” Luke answered.

 

“Did he know what you guys do for a living?” Gabriel asked.

 

“Matt did, Steven doesn't,” Luke answered.

 

“Who’s Eric?” Dean asked.

 

“He’s the hunter that was hunting the werewolf that killed our parents. The bastard broke Eric’s leg in the fight, and Ari ended up shooting the thing. He stayed with us while his leg healed, then he left on a hunt and Ari followed him, effectively starting our lives as hunters,” Luke explained.

 

Dean nodded his understanding. Jay pulled away from Arianna, discreetly wiping his tears away before he faced the group.

 

“Steven asked if we would come to the funeral. He also needs us to get Mom and Dad’s stuff from Matt’s basement. He’s going to have to sell the house,” Jay explained, trying to hold back the emotions building in him.

 

“Of course we will go, Jay,” Arianna said, slipping her arm around his waist.

 

“We will have to take both cars. I don't think everything in Matt’s basement will fit in just one. Hell, I don't think it will fit in both,” Luke said, trying to stay logical instead of giving in to emotion.

 

Sam and Dean looked at each other, nodding in silent agreement.

 

“We’ll go with you. The Impala has a huge trunk and we can put stuff in the back seat if we need to,” Dean said.

 

Arianna, Luke, and Jay looked first at Sam, then Dean, in astonishment.

 

“You guys don't have to do that. We’ll figure it out,” Arianna said.

 

Dean smirked at her. 

 

“Did we not just claim each other as brother and sister? We’re going, Ari. End of discussion,” he said.

 

Arianna smiled appreciatively at Dean as she fought the tears trying to fill her eyes. She wasn't going to let herself cry in front of Jay with him already so upset.

 

“Dean’s right. Family comes first. Plus, it will give us a chance to look into this Joel Harris issue,” Sam said.

 

“Thanks guys. That really means a lot to us,” Luke said.

 

* * *

 

Arianna had laid out all of her clothes across her bed, and she stood looking down at them. While Edmee had dug out more for her clothes after her scars had been healed, her wardrobe mostly consisted of jeans, jean shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, and a couple of hoodies. The only articles of clothing that stuck out were the purple dress Edmee had bought for her and a short black and red plaid skirt. She sighed as she realized she had nothing that was fitting for a funeral, at least not a funeral like the one she would be going to. It was then that it finally hit her that she was going to attend Matt’s funeral, and tears started to stream down her face. 

 

She had kept her emotions locked down while she was in front of Jay. Matt had meant a lot to the three siblings, but Jay had been best friends with Steven, and he had been closer than any of them. Arianna had been close with Steven at one time, but when she had chosen to be a hunter and had to keep that part of her and her brothers’ lives from him, they had steadily grown apart over the years. Jay had managed to keep a friendship with him as best as he could with the understanding that he just couldn’t reveal a lot about what they were all doing out on their own.

 

However, Matt  _ had _ known what they did, and he had made it a point to stay in touch with them. He learned quickly not to ask too many questions, and after a few years was just happy to know they were alive. Arianna, Luke, and Jay visited their hometown a few times when they had first become hunters, but after Eric had died they decided to stay away in an effort to protect Matt and Steven from any of the nightmares that may have caught their scent. They hadn’t set foot back in their hometown since Arianna was nineteen. 

 

She wrapped her arms around herself as memories of her old life played through her mind, and her body shook slightly as she let her tears take over. She didn't hear the sound of rustling wings behind her, but when two arms wrapped around her waist from behind she knew immediately that it was Gabriel. She turned quickly in his embrace, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and crying into the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, letting her fall apart on him. After a few minutes, she finally started to calm down enough to speak. 

 

“Will you come with me?” she asked, not changing her position in his arms.

 

“Of course, Sugar. I wouldn't let you go through this without me.” 

 

“Thank you.”

 

“And there is no way I'm letting you go off with Sam and Dean again without me. I think their bad luck is starting to rub off on you,” he said playfully, trying to make her laugh.

 

He smiled in success when he heard her give a small laugh.

 

“They thought that might be the case actually,” she said with a sniffle.

 

“Is there anything I can do to help you, Sugar?” he asked, running a hand gently through her hair.

 

Arianna raised her head to look at him and smiled through the last of the tears on her face when he moved his hand from her hair to wipe them away gently. She kissed him softly on his lips. 

 

“You're already doing it,” she said, once she pulled back from the kiss. 

 

He smiled and tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. He then finally noticed her bed covered from foot to head in her clothes, and looked back at her confused.

 

“Why are all of your clothes on the bed? You’re not taking all of that are you?” he asked.

 

She pulled away from him and turned to look at the them.

 

“I was trying to decide on what to wear to the funeral, then realized I don't have anything to wear to one,” she said defeated.

 

Gabriel walked around to the other side of the bed and picked up the purple dress Edmee had gotten for her.

 

“You could wear this,” he said, holding it up and looking at her.

 

“I don't want to wear that.”

 

“Why not? You look amazing in it.” 

 

She blushed slightly.

 

“Because that dress has a really good memory attached to it, and I don't want to give it a sad memory too,” she said with an impish smile.

 

He smiled as he looked down at the dress, remembering everything that had happened the night he had walked into her room at Edmee’s, especially about what had occurred after he saw her wearing it.

 

“Fair enough,” he said, laying the dress back down.

 

A wolfish grin spread across his face when he spotted the extremely short black and red plaid skirt laying next to the dress. He picked up the skirt and held it up, looking at her suggestively.

 

“I wouldn't mind making a memory with you in this,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

 

She smiled and bit her lip. The look he was giving her sent a rush of heat through her whole body. 

 

“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” she said, matching his seductive tone.

 

Someone banging on the outside of her door caused them both to jump slightly, effectively pulling them from the mood that was building. Arianna glared in the direction of the door.

 

“What?!” she called a little harsher than she intended.

 

The door opened and Dean walked in. He took in the look on Arianna's face and took a step back, holding his hands up in a surrender stance.

 

“I’m not interrupting something am I?” he asked cautiously, looking back and forth between them.

 

Arianna dropped the angry look from her face and replaced it with a smile. Dean visibly relaxed.

 

“No, Dean, you're fine. Gabe was just helping me figure out what to wear to the funeral. Unfortunately, I don't have anything,” she said, turning her eyes back to the clothes strewn across her bed. She smiled slightly when she saw her skirt back on the bed. “What did you need, Dean?” she asked, turning back to him.

 

“Jay said he wants to leave in a hour. You guys okay with that?” Dean asked.

 

“I'm good with that,” she said, and looked over to Gabriel. “Are you okay with that?”

 

“Of course, Sugar. Whatever you need.”

 

She smiled appreciatively at him and then turned back to Dean.

 

“Where are Luke and Jay?” she asked.

 

“Luke’s getting both your cars ready for the trip. Jay’s helping Sam get all the laptops and stuff together,” Dean answered.

 

“Sounds about right. Will you tell them both not to worry about packing? I’ll take care of that for them,” she said.

 

“Will do, I’ll let you guys get back to what you were doing,” Dean said and exited the room, closing the door as he left.

 

Arianna looked back to her bed once more, her frustration growing again. Suddenly Gabriel was behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He pulled her flush against him and her hands automatically covered his. When she leaned her head back onto his shoulder, he lovingly placed a kiss on her cheek.

 

“Stop stressing yourself out about this. If you don't want to wear anything here, then just pack what regular clothes you were planning on taking and we will get you something when we get there, or I can snap something up for you. Whichever you want,” he said comfortingly.

 

“You're too good to me, Gabe,” she said with a small smile.

 

He kissed her cheek again.

 

“That’s not possible. One day, when all this Michael bull shit is over, I'm going to give you the world. I'll take you to Paris, Rome, and anywhere else you want to see. We will be able to call anywhere home,” he told her.

 

She turned in his arms until her chest was against his and took his face in her hands smiling. 

 

“Gabriel, that sounds wonderful and I would love to see the world with you, but I don't need all of that. All I need and all I want is you. I love you, and no matter where I am, as long as you are there with me, then it’s home,” she said, looking into his eyes.

 

He smiled brightly and pressed a loving kiss to her lips.

 

“I love you too. I'm never going to let you go,” he said as he pulled away from the kiss and placed his forehead on hers.

 

“I'm never letting you go, either,” she said, and connected their lips again.

 

* * *

 

Luke sat behind the wheel of his black 1971 Dodge Charger, hands on the wheel and a smile on his face. The windows were rolled down and a rock station played on the radio as he drove down the interstate toward his hometown. He glanced in the rearview to make sure the rest of his convoy was in tow. In the mirror he saw Arianna’s Camaro behind him, Dean’s Impala behind her. They had been on the road for a good four hours now and were making excellent time.

 

He glanced at Jay over in the passenger’s seat and saw that he was looking intently at something on his phone. Luke frowned as he watched his brother, knowing that losing Matt was hard on him. Jay hadn’t said very much to anyone but their sister since he had told them about Matt. He reached out a hand to the radio and turned the volume down, which caused Jay to give him a questioning look.

 

“Back to the old stomping grounds! I wonder what's changed. How long has it been since we were there?” Luke asked, trying to get his brother talking.

 

Jay smiled, knowing what his brother was doing, and he appreciated the gesture.

 

“Eleven years I think. Steven said not much has changed. A few more stores and restaurants but that's about it,” Jay answered.

 

“How is Steven doing with all of this?” Luke asked cautiously.

 

“About as well as can be expected. He’s happy we are coming in.” 

 

Luke laughed. “I'm sure he’s more excited about seeing Ari than us.”

 

“I told him she was with someone and that he was coming. He was happy for her. Even if he wasn't though, it’s Steven. He would never disrespect any of us.”

 

“Do you think Gabriel knows about Steven?” Luke asked.

 

“I don't know. I'm sure Ari will tell him. Steven may be respectful, but the other asshats in that town aren't, and they like to start shit. I'm sure she would rather him find out from her than from some loud-mouthed bitch trying to start some unnecessary drama,” Jay said with a little annoyance in his voice.

 

“Let me guess, you are talking about a certain curly-haired bitch that Ari just seems to always get along beautifully with?” Luke asked sarcastically.

 

“You got it!” Jay said with a smirk.

 

“It’s going to be a trying weekend in more ways than one I believe.” 

 

“You got that right. I don't think Sam, Dean, and Gabe realize what they are walking into,” Jay said with a smile.

 

“Ha! It’s not that bad. It will definitely be an experience though.” 

 

Jay laughed loudly.

 

“That's one way of putting it,” he said.

 

* * *

 

_ Arianna walked through a dark hallway lit with torches burning with bright orange flames hanging every few feet along worn stone walls. She used the light to follow a path on a stone floor until she noticed a recess ahead of her in the wall that housed a statue of the virgin Mary. Her arms were bent at the elbow and her forearms were stretched out in front of her, which led her to believe that she was in an old Catholic church. Arianna kept walking down the hallway, not sure where she was going or why.  _

 

_ As she walked along, she caught her reflection in a mirror and she turned to stare at herself in awe. Her blonde hair was now a deep burgundy, and her once blue eyes now matched her new hair color. While her new features threw her off, the outfit she wore sent her reeling. She was wearing a black corset top with laces up the middle, a short black pleated leather skirt, and knee high patent leather high heeled boots. She looked down in confusion at her outfit and noticed two rings on the ring finger of her left hand. One was a silver band with a single, rather large, princess cut tanzanite gem on the top. The other was a slim, silver band with Enochian symbols etched around it. She stared at the symbols. She had seen them before, but where?  _

 

_ “What the hell?!” she thought to herself. _

 

_ Suddenly she felt another presence in her mind, a presence that felt a lot like herself. But, there was something different. This version of her felt broken, beaten, and in pain. This version also felt like there was a powerful outside influence that directed their actions. Arianna fought against the presence trying to overtake her mind, but the overwhelming pain consumed her until she was no longer in control of her own actions. She was simply watching as this other presence commandeered her body. _

 

_ She watched as her body turned and resumed its pathway down the corridor. Her figure walked until she came upon a large ornate double door decorated with elegant design work. Her body’s arm extended and she watched as her hand pushed the door open, and against her will she walked into the main room of the church. The only thing left in the room were a few stone pews, large chunks of the hard rock missing from each one. In the pew furthest from her sat a man, and she could only see the shoulders of his black suit jacket and the back of his chocolate-brown hair. _

 

_ Her brain screamed at her to turn around and run, but her body calmly walked up and sat in the pew behind him. She wanted to ask who he was and why she was here. She also wanted to get up and leave, but the other presence within her wouldn't allow her to speak or move. _

 

_ “You did well, Arianna,” the man said. _

 

_ Arianna tried to fight the words that started coming out of her mouth, but they spilled from her lips before she could say otherwise. _

 

_ “Thank you, sir,” she heard herself say. _

 

_ “Is she aware of you?” the man asked. _

 

_ She felt a wicked smile involuntarily spread across her lips as she fought to regain control, and inside her mind she started to thrash around. Why couldn't she control herself? She heard herself say words that she couldn't make out as she felt something shaking her from the inside. _

 

“Ari!” _ she heard someone call. _

 

_ The room around her grew fuzzy as the man in the suit jacket stood up and turned towards her, but with the room spinning around her she couldn't make out his face. _

 

“Ari! Sugar, wake up!” _ she heard someone call again. _

 

_ Gabriel? She was being shaken again. _

 

* * *

 

“Ari!” Gabriel called, gently shaking her shoulder.

 

Arianna jerked awake with her eyes darting around, taking in her surroundings. She was in the passenger seat of her car with the seat reclined. She clutched onto the handle of the door as her eyes fell on Gabriel in the driver’s seat, urgently looking back and forth between her and the road ahead of them.

 

“What the hell were you dreaming about?!” he asked.

 

Arianna fixed her seat back into the upright position and leaned her head against the headrest. She was breathing hard and she a felt thin layer of sweat over her body. Gabriel laced his hand with hers, and the contact instantly calmed her.

 

“Ari?” he questioned.

 

She thought desperately, trying to remember the dream she had just had, but few of the details lingered in her mind.

 

“I don't really remember a whole lot. Just something about me with burgundy hair, and I think trying to get away from someone or something,” she finally answered honestly.

 

“Are you OK now at least? You were thrashing around pretty hard,” he asked, glancing to her and then back to the road.

 

“I think so. Just wish I could remember more,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Where are we?”

 

“Just crossed the Tennessee line, maybe thirty minutes ago.” 

 

Arianna groaned involuntarily.

 

“You sound thrilled,” he joked.

 

“I hate my hometown. It’s nothing but a bunch of drama seeking assholes. Matt and Steven were the only reasons I ever agreed to go back after we left.”

 

“Thanks for the warning,” he said, smirking at her.

 

“Yeah, and since we are on the topic of warnings, I guess there is something I should tell you so you don't find out from someone trying to start shit between us,” she said cautiously.

 

“Why would someone do that?”

 

“It’s just how a lot of people are there.”

 

“The people of your hometown sound lovely,” he said sarcastically. “What is it you need to tell me? Something about an old boyfriend?”

 

“Actually, yeah, Steven and I dated all through the time I was actually in high school, and I lost my virginity to him. We broke up shortly after Mom and Dad were killed.”

 

Gabriel nodded, trying to calm the streak of jealousy that shot through him.

 

“I saw that,” she said with a chuckle.

 

“Saw what?!”

 

“Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Steven and I are ancient history. He’s a good guy and he will be happy for us, once he gets to know you.”

 

“So, another big brother type I have to win over?” he asked with a small laugh.

 

“Us dating may be history, but Steven still means a lot to me. So yes, I would like the two of you to get along. I hope that's not asking too much. I know it’s a weird thing to ask,” she said, cautious again.

 

“Like I've told you before, if it’s important to you then it’s important to me. As long as he’s respectful, there won't be any issues on my end.”

 

A bright smile broke across Arianna’s face as she reached her body over to place a kiss on his cheek.

 

“I love you,” she said, setting herself back into her seat.

 

Gabriel lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it.

 

“I love you too, Sugar.”

 

* * *

 

A few hours later, as night was beginning to fall on the town of Clinton, Tennessee, the three classic cars of the hunters pulled into the driveway of a small one-story brick house with an attached garage. Standing on the front porch waving to them was a man around Arianna’s age. His light green eyes lit up happily as the occupants of the vehicles got out and began walking toward him. His midnight hair hanging past his ears fluffed a little as he jogged forward to meet them.

 

Jay and Luke got to him first, and the three of them quickly embraced. The man then turned to Arianna and grabbed her in a tight hug that lifted her slightly off the ground.

 

“How the hell are you guys? It’s been way too damn long!” the man said as he set Arianna down, smiling at all three of them.

 

Luke, Jay, and Arianna shared a quick uncertain glance about how to answer his question. 

 

“We are as good as we can be,” Arianna finally said. “How are you holding up?”

 

The man's smile faltered for a moment.

 

“Pretty much the same,” he said and then turned to Sam, Dean, and Gabriel, a smile forced back onto his face. “You guys must be the friends Jay told me about.”

 

“Yeah. Steven, this is Sam, Dean, and Gabriel,” Jay said, indicating each one as he said their name. “Guys, this is Steven.”

 

“Gabriel? Dude, your parents must have been super religious!” Steven said in astonishment.

 

Sam and Dean dropped their heads at the comment while Jay and Luke snickered behind Arianna.

 

“Steven!” Arianna scolded, swatting him on the shoulder.

 

“You could say that,” Gabriel said with a smirk.

 

Arianna smacked Steven on the shoulder again.

 

“Apologize, you asshole!” she demanded.

 

“Ow! Why are you hitting me? I didn't mean anything by it!” Steven said, rubbing his arm where Arianna had hit him. “I take it that’s the new boyfriend?”

 

Arianna smiled at him.

 

“Yeah, that's him.”

 

Steven walked up to Gabriel and held out his hand toward him. Gabriel smiled and shook his hand.

 

“Hi, Gabriel, I apologize for apparently being an asshole,” Steven said, dropping his hand from Gabriel’s.

 

“Don't even worry about it,” Gabriel said smiling

 

Steven turned to Sam and Dean, shaking hands with them in turn.

 

“It’s really nice to meet all of you. Thank you for coming to support Ari, Luke, and Jay,” Steven said appreciatively.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, too. I'm glad we could be here for them. My condolences to you, Steven,” Sam said.

 

“Yeah, I'm glad we can be here to help you guys,” Dean said.

 

“Nowhere else we’d rather be,” Gabriel said.

 

Steven smiled at them gratefully. The three siblings closed the distance between them, Arianna linking her hand with Gabriel’s while Luke and Jay stood on either side of their old friend. 

 

“So what's the plan, Steve?” Jay asked.

 

Steven took a deep breath and exhaled before he spoke.

 

“I have to go to the funeral home and make arrangements tomorrow morning, but the autopsy won't be done until Monday. So, the funeral won't be until probably Tuesday. I hope that’s OK?” 

 

“That’s fine, man,” Jay said.

 

Steven nodded his appreciation.

 

“After I'm done at the funeral home we can go to Dad’s and you guys can go through y’all’s stuff. Other than that, if you can just help me filter through the onslaught of people that keep showing up at my door with food and stuff I would appreciate it.” 

 

“Yeah, we can do that,” Luke said.

 

For the first time since they had pulled up the reality of the situation finally began to show on Steven’s face.

 

“I really do appreciate all of you being here. I still can't believe this happened. Dad would be really happy you're here too,” he said, his voice showing his pain.

 

Jay put a hand on Steven’s shoulder and he turned to look at him.

 

“We got you, man. You know that,” Jay said.

 

Steven smiled and turned his attention back to the whole group.

 

“That’s enough of that. There is going to be plenty of time to fall apart. What I need right now is to spend the night catching up with my three long-lost best friends, and get to know their friends. What do guys say? There’s already a ton of food in the kitchen thanks to people bringing food by, and I’ve got a fridge in the garage full of beer,” Steven offered hopefully.

 

“That sounds like an excellent idea!” Arianna said, smiling at Steven.

 

* * *

 

Later that night by a small fire pit in the backyard, Arianna and Gabriel sat in a wicker chaise patio chair with navy blue cushions. Gabriel lounged in the chair with Arianna between his legs, her back resting against his chest and her head leaned back onto his shoulder. Their arms were lazily draped across her stomach as they stared into the night sky at the millions of stars above their heads.

 

Arianna sighed. “I have to admit, it is beautiful here.”

 

Gabriel turned his head to nuzzle his nose into her cheek, “Not as beautiful as you.”

 

Arianna laughed, leaning into his touch, “Always with the charm. You realize I'm already yours, right?”

 

“I realize, and I would like to keep it that way. So you get all the cheesy, fluffy charm I can muster, mixed in with mind blowing sex and all that other important stuff.”

 

“Yeah? How long can you keep that up?” she asked teasingly.

 

He reached a hand up and gently turned her head to face him with his index finger under her chin. “Forever.” he kissed her lovingly. “How long can you take it?”

 

She smiled and kissed him. “Always.”

 

Gabriel smiled as he cupped her face with his hand and brought her in for another kiss. As the kiss deepened, they both felt the world slip away. For a moment the only thing that mattered was the two of them in this perfect moment. Arianna reached a hand up to run her fingers through his hair as she pulled him closer to her. 

 

She felt his growing excitement pressing into her lower back, but he groaned as he reluctantly broke the kiss. She then stared at him questioningly.

 

“Steven and Jay are coming,” he said, answering her unspoken question as he dropped his hand to drape across her stomach again.

 

“You can feel that?” she asked, letting her hand fall to rest on his.

 

He nodded. “It’s like there is a giant megaphone on their emotions they are both trying to keep hidden. I had purposely focused on Jay during the drive to keep an eye on him. Steven’s emotions match his, so it all kinda blended together.”

 

She shook her head. “I should have known that.”

 

Gabriel laughed. “You don't have to be on top of everything all the time, Ari.”

 

The back door opening several feet behind them ended their conversation. Steven and Jay walked over to where they sat around the fire. Steven took a seat in the wicker lounge chair next to them as Jay walked up and looked down at Arianna.

 

“Where are mine and Luke’s suits? I want to take them to get cleaned tomorrow,” he asked.

 

“In the trunk of my car,” she answered.

 

“I looked there. I didn't see them,” Jay said.

 

Arianna stood up from her seat. “Come on, I’ll help you find them.” She turned to Gabriel for a moment. “I’ll be right back.”

 

Gabriel nodded his understanding and Arianna followed Jay back into the house. Gabriel looked over to Steven sitting in the chair beside his. The man smiled awkwardly at him as he ran a hand through his hair nervously, and Gabriel could feel the uncertainty rolling off of him.

 

“So, you dated Ari back in high school. What was she like back then?” Gabriel asked.

 

He felt Steven relax instantly as he leaned back into his chair.

 

“Yeah, we dated for a little over two years. She was pretty much the same as she is now. Life takes its toll on all of us, but she is still the same loving, loyal, persuasive firecracker she’s always been.”

 

Gabriel chuckled. “Firecracker, that’s perfect.”

 

Steven laughed as he rested an arm behind his head. “So, how did you two meet?”

 

Gabriel paused for a moment, choosing his words wisely. “Sam introduced us. They are in the same line of work.”

 

“I see. Dean, too?”

 

Gabriel hesitated, kicking himself for not asking the simple question of what exactly Steven thought Arianna and her brothers did for a living.

 

“Yeah, Sam had a bit of a problem, and Ari helped him solve it. We’ve all been working together since then.”

 

“I didn't realize pharmaceutical sales was such a group project,” Steven said with underlying skepticism in his voice as he looked up to the sky.

 

Gabriel had to stop himself from laughing as he imagined Sam and Dean pulling along a cart of pharmaceutical samples wearing their F.B.I. suits.

 

“We’ve made it into one.”

 

“That’s good. You, Sam, and Dean seem to have fallen quite easily into their family unit, and you and Ari seem quite happy together,” Steven said.

 

“We are,” Gabriel said, not able to stop the smile pulling at his lips.

 

Steven turned his gaze to Gabriel. “Hang onto her, man. She is incredibly easy to fall in love with, but getting over that girl, that’s damn near impossible.”

 

“Do you speak from experience?”

 

Steven looked back to the sky as he contemplated his answer. “Ari will always be the one that got away for me, but I got over those feelings for her a long time ago. Seeing the way the two of you look at each other makes me realize why things never would have worked between her and me. It makes me really happy to see her so in love with someone, and that you reciprocate those feelings. And you have seemed to have won over Luke, as well. That’s a damn miracle in itself.”

 

“Yeah, Luke wasn't thrilled at first,” Gabriel said with a chuckle.

 

Steven laughed. “Dude, he hated me from the second Ari told him we were together until the day we broke up, and we grew up together.”

 

“So, he’s always been the helicopter older brother?”

 

“To some extent. It wasn't really that bad when we were kids, but after their parents, Chris and Ally, died, he understandably got worse. Then, after they got back from a trip they took almost two months after their parents died with a family friend who none of us had ever heard of, it was like he didn't want to let her out of his sight. They were all different after that trip, actually. It was like the three of them had figured out something about this world that the rest of us are lucky enough not to know. They packed up and left shortly after that.”

 

“Losing both of your parents like they did can do that,” Gabriel said sympathetically.

 

“Yeah, but it was more than that. I never really expected them to just take off like they did, but, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.”

 

Gabriel looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean?”

 

“Yeah, I guess you wouldn't know. I don't think Ari, Luke, and Jay know either. Dad told me a few years ago that him, Chris, and Ally moved here from Lawrence, Kansas when they were 20. Chris and Ally cut all ties with both of their families when they did. He didn't really go into much detail, just said he wasn't sure if Ari, Luke, and Jay knew or not.”

 

Gabriel thought for a moment. Why did Lawrence sound so familiar to him?

 

“You never mentioned it to them?” he asked.

 

“By the time Dad told me, I spoke to them so infrequently that it honestly just slipped my mind. Why? Is it important?”

 

“I'm not sure,” Gabriel said honestly.

 

“Hey, Gabe!” Dean called as he poked his head out of the back door, “Can you come help me with something?”

 

Gabriel turned to look at Dean and realization crashed down on him. Sam and Dean were from Lawrence, Kansas. That couldn't be just a coincidence, could it?

 

* * *

 

A man stood silently watching Steven’s house from across the street, hidden by the darkness of night. A fedora was pulled down over his face, covering it in shadow, and his hands rested in the pockets of his long black trench coat. Only the obsidian skin of his neck was exposed to the darkness.

 

The street light in front of the house cast a glow over the driveway that bled into the front porch light.The man patiently watched for moment and his diligence was rewarded when Jay and Arianna walked outside the front door. They didn't notice the pair of eyes that followed their movements as they walked to Arianna’s car and opened the trunk. 

 

The mysterious man watched as Arianna reached in and pulled out two suits that were still on their hangers and handed them to her brother. Jay hung his head in a mumbled apology as he took them from her. She simply smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly, and Jay wrapped his free arm around her.

 

After a few moments Jay broke away and slid his arm around Arianna’s shoulders. He said something that made her laugh as they slowly started their walk back towards the house. When they had reached the front door the man watching them chuckled to himself.

 

“Gotcha,” he whispered, then vanished with the sound of rustling wings.

 

As Jay placed his hand on the doorknob the hairs on the back of Arianna's neck bristled. She pulled away from Jay’s arm as she quickly turned around, eyes scanning every inch of the yard and the street she could see.

 

“Ari?” Jay questioned.

 

Arianna darted her eyes around one more time before she turned back to her brother, and she smiled at him, feeling a little embarrassed.

 

“Sorry, I guess I'm just a little on edge. You know this place does that to me,” she said.

 

“I know. You don't have anything to worry about at the moment, sis. Gabe snuck out earlier and personally warded this place to the nines,” Jay said encouragingly.

 

“I know, he told me,” she said forcing, a smile.

 

Jay smiled back and wrapped his arm back around her shoulders and led her into the house. She couldn't help but glance over her shoulder one more time before the door closed. She couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she had felt something that shouldn't have been there.

 

* * *

 

Arianna groaned angrily as the alarm on her phone blared, abruptly waking her. Without opening her eyes, she turned on her side blindly groping for her phone on the nightstand next to the bed she had slept on in one of the spare bedrooms of Steven’s house. Her hand connected with the phone and she grabbed it, quickly silencing it. She dropped the phone back on the nightstand and rolled back over extending her arm to search for Gabriel. Her eyes popped open when she felt the empty space beside her, and she pushed herself into a sitting position as she looked around the room.

 

Gabriel was nowhere to be seen, but when her eyes landed on the nightstand next to her bed she saw a White Lily placed on top of a handwritten note. She smiled as she picked up the White Lily and sniffed it. Laying the Lily in her lap, she picked up the note to read it.

 

_ Good morning beautiful, _

 

_ I heard Jay moving around the house about four this morning. I went to keep him company. I’ll be back around the time your alarm is set to go off. _

 

_ Love, _

_ Gabriel _

 

Right on cue, the bedroom door opened and Gabriel entered. She lowered the note to her lap and smiled brightly at him. He returned her smile and went to sit on the edge of the bed next to her.

 

“You're amazing,” she said, pulling him to her and kissing him.

 

He pulled away and smiled at her. “Why am I amazing?”

 

“For the beautiful Lily and for being there for my brother.  Thank you,” she said gratefully, placing the Lily and the note back on the nightstand.

 

“You're welcome, Sugar. But, it was my pleasure,” he said,pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear and letting his fingers trail down her arm to her hand, linking their fingers together.

 

“So, what did you and Jay do for three hours while everyone was sleeping?”

 

“Sam and Dean were sleeping in the living room, so we just sat outside in the backyard and talked about random things.”

 

“Really? Any topics I should be aware of?” she asked teasingly.

 

Gabriel laughed. “No, but I did have an interesting conversation with Steven last night.”

 

Arianna’s eyes widened. “Uh oh!”

 

“Nothing that needs that reaction. He just mentioned something that got me thinking. I was going to ask you about it last night, but you passed out pretty quickly once we came back to the room.”

 

“What did he say?” she asked, her curiosity spiked.

 

“How much do you know about where your parents are from originally?”

 

She furrowed her brow at him. “Honestly, not a lot. Dad was born in Tennessee, which is how we ended up here. He was in the Army, so he moved around a lot until he met Mom, but she never went into a lot of her background.”

 

Gabriel thought for a moment. “What about their families?”

 

“We’ve never met any of them and they didn't talk a lot about them, either. Mom would just say her family was a bad influence and Dad grew up in and out of different foster homes. I don't think he ever knew any of his blood family. Why? I don't understand what you’re getting at.”

 

“Steven mentioned last night that his dad told him a few years ago that your parents moved here from Lawrence, Kansas.” 

 

She looked at him with confusion mounting in her expression. “I didn't know that, but I still don't understand why it matters.”

 

“Sam and Dean are from Lawrence, Kansas. Their mother was killed by demon there.”

 

Arianna’s mouth dropped open. “What?!”

 

“That was pretty much how I felt when I realized it. I don't know if there is any connection, but we should probably bring it up to the others once we get home. We might need to look into it because I've learned that nothing is a coincidence when Sam and Dean are involved.”

 

Arianna suddenly smiled warmly at him. Their topic of conversation eluded her for a moment as she focused on a single word he had said. 

 

He blinked and looked at her with confusion. “Why are you smiling like that?” he asked slowly.

 

“You called it home,” she said happily.

 

His expression softened and he smiled at her. “It feels like it with you there.”

 

Remembering their conversation, Arianna sighed. “We should probably ask Steven if he knows anything more as well.”

 

“We should, but it can wait until after the funeral.”

 

Arianna nodded her agreement. “So what are we planning to do while Steven is making funeral arrangements?”

 

“Jay has decided to go with Steven. I guess the coroner called this morning and said he needed him to come by and answer some questions. Luke is running a few errands for Steven while getting his and Jay’s suits cleaned. Sam and Dean are heading to Knoxville to see if they can dig up anything on Joel Harris or anything else weird, and everyone is supposed to meet up back here at four this afternoon,” Gabriel explained. 

 

Arianna smiled at him suggestively. “So, you and I will be alone all day?”

 

Gabriel chuckled. “While I like where your mind is at, I thought we might be able to take care of another issue while everyone is busy.”

 

Arianna cocked her head to the side and looked at him questioningly.

 

“You need a dress for the funeral,” he reminded her.

 

Arianna rolled her eyes and let herself fall backwards onto the bed with a frustrated growl.

 

“You said you could just zap something up for me!” she whined.

 

Gabriel laughed and crawled over her to lay on his side, propping himself up on his elbow so he could look down at her. She met him with frustrated eyes.

 

“Come on, it might be nice to do something normal for once,” he said encouragingly.

 

“Gabe, there is nothing normal about our relationship. We’ve never even been on a first date,” she said with a laugh.

 

“Hmm, we haven't, have we? I’ll have to fix that,” he said with a thoughtful expression. “But, that's exactly my point. We need a little bit of normalcy every now and then.” He took in her uncertain expression. “Please, let me do this for you.”

 

Arianna sighed. “Is this really that important to you?”

 

“Yes, it is.”

 

“OK, let’s go buy a dress like normal people then.”

 

Arianna couldn’t help but return the dazzling smile that lit up his amber eyes. 

 

“What do I need to wear for your little normalcy excursion? I didn't bring a whole lot other than jeans, shorts, and t-shirts,” she asked, lifting the blankets and looking down at the grey t-shirt and black cotton shorts she was wearing.

 

“That I can zap you something up for,” he said, still smiling. “Stand up.”

 

“Oh!  _ That _ you can zap up?” she said teasingly as she got out of the bed and stood to the side of it.

 

Gabriel pushed himself up and moved to sit on the edge of the bed again, positioning himself so she was in front of him. He looked at her thoughtfully as he leaned back and propped himself up with his arms, and Arianna put her hands on her hips as she waited for him to decide on her attire. After a few seconds, his eyebrows raised and he grinned as he made his decision. He then reached a hand up, snapping his fingers.

 

Arianna felt a warmth surround her body as she felt the fabric of her clothes pull and change against her skin. When the sensations had subsided, she looked down to see what he had conjured about her body. She was now wearing a tight low-cut black fighting tank top and a short dark blue maxi skirt that was cut just above mid thigh. Around her neck was a silver chain with a blue sapphire pendant in the shape of a heart that hung down to the top of her breasts. She looked to him and was met with another smile that made his eyes look bright. He sat upright on the bed, the backs of his knees against the mattress.

 

“Damn you're beautiful,” he said, grinning at her.

 

“What is this thing you've got with dresses and skirts?” she asked teasingly.

 

“I've got a thing for  _ you  _ in dresses and skirts,” he corrected her with a wink.

 

“Why?” she asked, looking down at herself.

 

“Have you seen your legs?” he asked, astounded at her question.

 

Arianna rolled her eyes at him and laughed.

 

“Not to mention the whole easy access factor,” he said, winking at her again.

 

A sly smile spread across her lips as she moved closer to him, standing between his legs. When she rested her hands on his shoulders he slipped his hands under her skirt to grip the back of her thighs.

 

“Is that so?” she asked, keeping the smile on her face.

 

“One of the best parts,” he said, matching her smile.

 

Arianna pushed him by his shoulders to lay down on the bed as she straddled his pelvis. His hands slid to her waist as she bent down to kiss him, threading her fingers into his hair and slipping her tongue into his mouth. He groaned when she rolled her hips on him, feeling him start to harden beneath her.

 

A sudden knock on the door broke their kiss.

 

“Hey, come on guys! Breakfast is ready!” Dean called from the other side of the door.

 

“I'm not hungry for breakfast!” Arianna called back, her annoyance clear in her voice.

 

They heard Dean laugh on the other side of the door.

 

“Unlock your lips and get out here guys!” he said, then they heard his footsteps retreat from the door.

 

Arianna looked down at Gabriel.

 

“I guess we probably should get out there. It won't be long until Luke or Jay come knocking on the door,” he said.

 

Arianna groaned in frustration as she rolled off of him to lay on the bed, throwing her hands to rest above her head.

 

“I’m getting tired, really quick, of being cock blocked,” she said angrily.

 

Gabriel laughed loudly and rolled on top of her, placing himself between her legs. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as he ran his hands up her arms to her wrists, holding them in place. He crushed his lips to hers in a hungry kiss, immediately slipping his tongue past her lips. She whimpered into his mouth when he ground his hips into her. He broke the kiss and looked down at her, smiling mischievously. 

 

“I promise you, we  _ will _ pick this back up later,” he said with a wink.

 

“I'm holding you to that,” she said with a smirk.

 

* * *

 

“So why are you guys going to Knoxville?” Steven asked Sam and Dean.

He was leaning against the counter in his sizeable kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. Sam, Dean, Luke, and Jay were seated at the table in the corner eating eggs and bacon. The four all exchanged a thoughtful glance before Sam turned in his chair to address Steven.

“Dean and I have an old friend there that we would like to see since we’re so close,” he lied.

Steven nodded his acceptance of Sam’s fabrication and went to take a drink of his coffee. Arianna and Gabriel walking into the kitchen made him freeze in his action, and his mouth fell slightly agape as he took in Arianna’s appearance.

“Damn, Ari! You look amazing!” he exclaimed while he stared, pulling the men’s attention at the table to the couple.

Smiles broke on their faces as Sam, Dean, Luke, and Jay saw Arianna.

“You look really pretty sis!” Jay said.

“Yeah, you really do. I'm still getting used to you not wearing long sleeves and pants all the time though,” Luke said.

Jay roughly kicked Luke’s shin underneath the table as Arianna looked at him, dumbfounded over his slip.

“Ow! What was that for?!” Luke demanded of his brother.

Jay stared at him with a knowing glare. 

“Why were you wearing long sleeves and jeans all the time?” Steven asked Arianna.

Realizing what he had done, Luke looked to Arianna apologetically. He mouthed the word “sorry” to her before she turned to look at Steven.

“Personal preference. I'm feeling a little more confident these days though,” she said, pleased with her quick answer.

Steven looked between the three of them, sensing the tension between them.

“Anyway,” he said slowly, “we better get going, Jay.” He set his coffee cup down and grabbed his keys off of the counter behind him. 

“Yeah, I’ll meet you in the car,” Jay said.

Steven nodded and made his way out of the kitchen, bidding them all a farewell as he did. Once he was gone and they heard the front door close, Arianna and Gabriel took a seat at the table with the others. 

“Any news?” Arianna asked.

“A police report was released this morning pertaining to finding Joel Harris’ car. Turns out they found his car pretty far back in the woods, and there was no road to the location they found it in and no visible tire tracks in the surrounding area. The only reason they found it was because this guy was hiking up that way and called it in. The police found him dead when they got there. Cause of death hasn't been released,” Sam quickly explained.

“This is starting to look like our kind of weird,” Luke said.

“Maybe, but there was a lot of heavy rain for a few days prior to the car being found. Any tire tracks could’ve been washed away,” Dean speculated.

“Do you need one of us to tag along?” Luke asked.

“No, you guys are fine. There’s nothing definite that this is anything. Sam and I will go check it out, and you guys take care of things here. If anything happens, Knoxville is only thirty minutes away. We got this,” Dean said.

* * *

Gabriel and Arianna walked out of a small dress shop located in a strip mall lined with other various shops and restaurants. As they turned to walk down the sidewalk, he slipped an arm around her shoulders.

“See, now was that so bad?” he asked, holding up a shopping bag in his other hand.

Arianna smiled and snaked her arm around his waist.

“No, it wasn't. Thank you for making me go, and for the dress. Though I'm pretty sure you made the rest of the men in there look bad.”

Gabriel laughed. “What do you mean?”

“You didn't notice the other men sitting in chairs along the back wall getting dirty looks from their women as you helped me pick things out to try on, and finally helping me decide which dress to get?"

Gabriel shrugged. “No, I didn't. I was focused on you. I don't understand why men do that though. Why would you not help your woman with something like that? It makes her happy and you might just get to take the dress off of her later. It’s like the saying goes: Happy wife, happy life.” 

“Not a lot of men get that,” she pointed out.

“Then they are idiots,” he said matter of factly.

“Arianna Lawson?!” a shrill female voice called from behind them.

Gabriel felt Arianna tense up at the sound of the voice. They stopped walking and Arianna reluctantly pulled away from Gabriel as she turned around to face the voice’s owner. Gabriel’s eyes widened in disbelief at the woman standing a few feet behind them. She had untamed curly brown hair and brown eyes, and her over-the-top make-up was completed by the low-cut spaghetti strap hot pink tank top and Daisy Duke cut off shorts that were obviously a size or two smaller than they should have been.

“Hi Kristy,” Arianna said, forcing friendliness into her voice.

Kristy let out a high pitched scream of excitement, causing Gabriel to wince as she ran to Arianna and wrapped her in a tight hug. Gabriel saw Arianna’s body go completely rigid, her arms straight down by her sides and her hands balled into tight fists.

“I thought that was you!” Kristy exclaimed in her high pitched shrill voice.

Kristy finally released Arianna and her eyes fell on Gabriel. Her eyes widened as she looked him up and down, smiling appreciatively.

“And who is this handsome man you are walking around with? A friend of Luke or Jay’s?” she asked, not taking her eyes off of him.

Gabriel felt possessive anger flare through Arianna as she stepped in between him and Kristy. She narrowed her eyes at the curly haired woman, her hands still clenched.

“This is my boyfriend Gabriel,” Arianna said with a warning tone to her voice.

Kristy blinked at her and took a step back, then a smug look came across her face. 

“I wondered if you and your brothers would make an appearance when poor Steven told me about his dad. Speaking of, how is your old boyfriend getting along with your new one?”she asked, smiling with fake sincerity.

Gabriel’s mouth dropped at her audacity and sheer maliciousness. Noticing Gabriel’s reaction, and taking it wrong, Kristy dramatically covered her mouth with her hand and gasped.

“Oh no! Did you not know Steven and Arianna dated? I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't cause a problem between the two of you!” Kristy said, overemphasizing her feigned horror.

Gabriel felt the rage rushing through Arianna as she opened her mouth to respond. Gabriel moved to stand beside her and took her hand in his, causing her to pause and look up at him. He winked at her before he turned to Kristy.

“You know, Kristin, was it? Maliciousness is a very unattractive quality in a woman. You should really do some soul searching and try to figure out why you are like that. Not that it is any of your business, but Steven and I get along just fine. Your deep-seeded jealousy of Ari is actually kind of sad as well. You might want to talk to someone about how to start liking who you are, because that way, you can find your own happiness instead of trying to destroy someone else’s. Trust me, karma can be a real bitch,” Gabriel said calmly.   
  


Kristy’s mouth dropped and she started at him with wide, unblinking eyes. Not giving her time to react, Gabriel slid his arm around Arianna’s waist, locking his eyes with hers.

“Come on, Sugar,” he said, turning them both in the opposite direction and continuing their path down the sidewalk.

When Arianna was sure they were out of earshot, she burst out laughing. Gabriel smiled and reached over to place a kiss on her temple, never breaking their stride.

“Her face was priceless!” Arianna said excitedly.

“She’s lucky I'm trying to keep a low profile. Otherwise, she would have seen what the trickster in me is capable of. Who the hell was that bitch anyway?” 

“We went to high school together, and she was a bitch then, too.” 

“I believe it, because she's jealous of you. She just wishes she was as beautiful and charming as you are.”

Arianna laughed. “I think you may be a little biased on that.”

“No, I'm not. I just have eyes.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. Ya know, I really thought you were exaggerating when you said people would try to cause problems, but I'll be damned, it friggin’ happened,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I told you,” Arianna said in a sing-song voice, cocking her head to look at him.

Gabriel chuckled as he looked in her direction. “I have to say though, seeing you get all possessive was really a turn-on,” he said, wagging his eyebrows at her.

She sighed. “If only there was something we could do about that.”

Gabriel looked around at their surroundings, scanning his eyes over every inch of the large strip mall. His eyes fell on the top of an alcove between a break in the shops, hidden from view by a large structural wall. He turned his eyes back to her with a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

“How adventurous are you feeling?” he asked, almost daringly.

She eyed him cautiously. “Why?”

“Do you trust me?” he asked, his grin not leaving his lips.

“Obviously.”

Gabriel dropped his arm from her waist and took her by the hand. He led her to where he had seen the alcove, and with one last look around he pulled her in. Once inside the alcove, they were surrounded by the eggshell-white cement walls of the strip mall, and they were almost boxed in, completely hidden from view by the outer wall in from of them. 

He studied her face anxiously, trying to gauge her reaction as she looked around the private hiding spot he had pulled her into, until finally her eyes landed on his, smiling.

 

“What do you plan on doing to me, Gabriel?” she asked seductively.

An almost predatory grin spread across his face as he let the shopping bag fall from his hand. He grabbed her by the hips and pushed her up against the wall quickly, making sure to keep a little space between them. Her hands flew to grip his biceps as he lowered his lips to her neck and lightly brushed his lips against her skin, trailing up to her ear  He felt her shiver at his touch.

“I haven't decided if I'm just going to tease you or if I'm going to make you come,” he whispered in her ear, his voice husky and low with lust.

He dragged his lips down her jaw line and to her lips and connected them together in a slow, deep, and heated kiss. Moving his hands from her hips, he grabbed both of her wrists and pulled her hands from his biceps, pinning them to the wall on either side of her head. He broke the kiss to look in her lust-blown eyes.

“Keep your hands where they are,” he instructed, “and you might want to try and be quiet. You don't want to get us caught.”

When she nodded her agreement he pressed another kiss to her mouth, this one filled with desire. He slid his hands from her wrists down to her arms and to her sides. When he reached the bottom of her shirt he gripped the hem and pushed it up to uncover her black lace bra-clad breasts. His hands quickly moved to cover each one, and he began to massage and knead them. She arched into his touch and whimpered when his fingers found her nipples and rolled the hardened nubs.

He pushed his tongue past her lips as one of his hands slipped from her breast to her bare stomach. Keeping one hand to tease her nipple through the fabric of her bra, he lightly traced his fingertips over the skin of her stomach with his other hand, reveling in how her muscles twitched at his touch. Continuing his descent, his hand ghosted over her hip and down her thigh to the edge of her skirt. His hand traveled slowly under the fabric, caressing the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. As his hand got closer to her sex, she automatically spread her legs a little wider for him. When his fingers were close enough to feel the heat of her arousal he broke the kiss. She bit her lip to suppress another whimper as she looked into his whiskey eyes.

He slowly ran a finger over her slit through the fabric of her thong, watching her suck in a sharp breath and bite down on her lip harder. He continued the slow torture, stroking up and down, barely applying any pressure. He could feel her wetness increasing with every motion of his finger, even through her panties. He watched her intently as she writhed under his touch, trying to press her mound harder against his fingers. He couldn't help but smile; he loved watching her come undone because of him as she desperately tried to keep from moaning and screaming. 

“Gabriel, please,” she begged.

Her plea sent a shockwave through him and he grabbed the fabric of her thong and ripped them off her. His fingers were back to her pussy before her underwear even hit the ground, and she arched her back again at the sudden skin-to-skin contact. When he slowly slipped two fingers inside of her she threw her head back against the wall, whimpering and trying not to scream his name. He started a steady pace, plunging his fingers in and out of her, keeping his eyes on her to watch her reactions to what he was doing. Her head was still tossed back, and her arms were against the wall as she bit her lip to keep her moans from spilling out. He then moved his hand from her breast to the back of her neck, tilting her head forward, forcing her to look at him.

“Does it feel good? Is this what you’ve been wanting?” he asked in a lust filled voice.

She nodded at him, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would scream.

He added a third finger and positioned his thumb to hit her clit every time he plunged into her. He increased his speed dramatically, suddenly slamming his fingers into her, smiling as her whimpers got louder. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as her velvet walls began to tighten around his digits pounding into her. When her orgasm crashed over her, her hands flew from the wall to grip his shoulders tightly. She buried her face into the crook of his neck in an attempt to muffle her scream of his name as his fingers continue to pump her through her climax. 

When her body had calmed he removed his fingers from inside her, then took his other hand from where it still rested on the back of her neck to snap his fingers. They were both suddenly cleaned up and her ripped thong was back on her, completely intact. She raised her head to look at him questionably at the feel of her underwear back on her body.

“This was just for you. I have plans for the  _ both  _ of us later,” he said, wagging his eyebrows at her suggestively.

“Oh do you now?” 

He winked at her and pressed a kiss to her lips.

In the back of the parking lot of the strip mall near a line of trees stood the man with the black trench coat and matching fedora. The angle of his head caused the hat to hide his face from view as he watched the area Arianna and Gabriel had disappeared behind, and he waited patiently, unmoving, for the two to emerge. After a few more minutes the couple appeared, and he saw that Gabriel carried a shopping bag from the dress store they had exited earlier in one hand. His other was laced with Arianna’s, and she leaned her head onto his shoulder as they walked towards her car.

The trench coated man watched them closely, studying their movements. When they had made it to her car, Gabriel opened the passenger’s side door for Arianna. Before she got in she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. After she was in the car with the door shut, Gabriel made his way to the driver’s side and got inside, and it didn't take long for the car’s engine to roar to life. 

Watching as the car exited the parking lot, the man raised his head just enough to reveal a wicked smile beneath the fedora.

“It is true. She has fallen in love with Gabriel. That is going to make this so much more fun.”

In the blink of an eye the man disappeared with the sound of rustling wings.

* * *

The nearest hospital to Steven’s house was the Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, where his father’s body had been brought so they could perform an autopsy. Jay wasn’t allowed to be in the room while Steven spoke to the corner, so he made his way to the parking garage next to the hospital where his friend’s red SUV was parked.

He hated hospitals, so when Steven had suggested that he wait in the car after being told that he would have to speak to the coroner alone, Jay had jumped at the opportunity. The last time he had been at this hospital was when his parents had been killed, and he could remember sitting in a room with Luke and Arianna as nurses, doctors, and police officers fussed with their care and asked question after question. He had stared at the floor while Arianna wove a tale about how a mountain lion had found its way to their campsite and attacked their parents, Luke backing up every word of her story without missing a beat. He had also added that Eric had gone camping with them and broke his leg when he had tried to fend it off of them.

Jay shook his head, trying to push the memory far away just for his mind to fall on his current situation. Matt had been the only real connection to his father that he had left, and now he was gone as well. Losing Matt tore at his heart more than he wanted to admit, but he had kept up the facade of being strong for Steven. He had also not wanted his brother and sister to worry about him anymore than he knew they already were. The only break in his demeanor since they had left the bunker was early that morning when Gabriel had found him sitting outside in the backyard.

He had had every intention of lying to the Archangel when he had asked how he was really doing, telling him that he was fine. But when Gabriel had sat next to him and told him not to lie about it, he had spilled his guts. He told the angel what Matt had meant to him, and how losing him, mixed with the lingering pain of the loss of his parents, was eating him alive. At one point he had even said he almost wished it was a monster that took the man’s life. At least that way, he had told Gabriel, he could kill the thing that took his dad’s best friend. 

Pulling his mind back to the present, he caught himself longing for the funeral to be over. He desperately wanted to start the trip back to the bunker. Back to the place that had become a second home to him. Back to the normalcy of dealing with monsters and the ever growing questions surrounding their situation with Michael. He laughed at himself when he realized he had called hunting monsters and fighting a jumped up Archangel normal. 

If he had been paying attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed the black trench coated man watching him from a corner of the parking garage, face hidden by a fedora. If he hadn't of been so distracted by his pain as he got into the passenger's side of the SUV, he would have heard the rustle of wings when the man vanished.

* * *

Luke was kneeling in front of two gravestones in a large cemetery. He placed a bouquet of red roses in front of each marker and stood to his feet, shoving his hands in the pocket of his jeans and sighing sadly. 

“Hey Mom. Hey Dad,” he said, staring at the two stone indicators.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, fighting to keep his emotions in check.

“Things have gotten crazy, even for us, lately. You’d be real proud of Ari though. She’s had a lot happen since the last time we talked. She’s come out on top of all of it and I know she will do the same with what’s going on now. I know I'm proud of her, even if I gave her hell at first. I was really only trying to protect her, and I hope she knows that.”

He took another deep breath, battling against the tears that were starting to form in his eyes.

“She’s met someone, too. You should see them together. Even with all the bullshit going on, he still can make her smile and laugh. I think you guys would really like him. Even if he is an angel.”

He pulled a hand from his pocket and wiped away the tears in his eyes before they spilled down his cheeks.

“Jay is having a really hard time with losing Matt. He’s trying to pretend he’s fine, but Ari and I can see right through him. You would be proud of him too, though. He’s been so good about trying to keep the peace between Ari and me. He’s kept me in check, too. Made sure to let me know when I was being a jerk.” 

He wiped at the tears that had started to fall from his eyes once more.

“I hope you would be proud of me. I've done my best to keep Ari and Jay safe. It’s hard with what we do and with Ari being what she is now. I've tried so hard though. I know I've not done a perfect job and I know sometimes I'm a complete ass about it, but goddammit, I've tried. I'm scared about how much longer I'm going to be able to protect Ari.”

His voiced started to crack, and he let the tears flow freely.

“What we are dealing with now, it’s big. Huge. And I know Ari is going to have to do some things that I can't protect her from. It scares the hell out of me. I promise, I won't let her know that though.”

He took in a ragged breath, attempting to calm his tears.

“God, I miss you guys so much. Sometimes so much it feels like there is a hole in my chest. I wish I could talk to you Dad, like I used to when I was doubting myself and somehow how you would make me believe in myself again. Mom, I miss how you always seemed to know when one of us just needed a hug. Mostly, I miss your guidance. I think we could all really use some of that right now.”

He used both of his hands to dry his face, trying to compose himself.

“I love you both.”

Not being able to take the onslaught of emotion anymore, he turned and started the walk back to his car. He opened the driver’s side door, but before he got in he looked up to his parents’ gravestones. He read the words on them one more time.

Written on the first were the words:

_ Christopher Luke Lawson _

_ Loving Father _

_ January 5, 1953 - July 31, 2004 _

And written on the second:

_ Ally Jayna Campbell Lawson _

_ Loving Mother _

_ March 4, 1953 - July 31, 2004 _

Unbeknownst to Luke as he got into his car and drove away, the man in the black trench coat and fedora watched him until the car was out of sight.

* * *

Dean leaned against the passenger’s side door of the Impala with his arms crossed over his chest across the street from the Knox County Medical Examiner’s building. It was Saturday, and not being able to find someone on such short notice, Sam had broken into the the closed building to find the autopsy report of the hiker that been found near Joel Harris’ abandoned car.

He scanned the parking lot of the building, his phone in his hand opened to Sam’s contact screen. He was playing lookout while his brother searched the office, and he had been in his current position for half a hour now, waiting for word from his brother. Anxiety and impatience had been swimming through him, until finally he couldn’t wait anymore and typed out a message to his brother.

_ What's going on? _

Within seconds he got a reply.

_ Start the car. On my way out. _

Dean shoved his phone into the pocket of his jeans and jogged around the car to the driver's side. He opened the door and got in, and turned the key in the ignition as he slammed his door shut. When he looked around again Sam was opening the passenger's side door to get in as well. With Sam in the car, Dean put the car into drive and pulled away from the building.

“What took so long?” Dean asked as he navigated the Impala down the street.

“Security was a bitch to avoid.”

“Did you find anything?”

“Unfortunately, yes. At first, they thought the hiker had had a heart attack. But, because his body was found next to a technical crime scene, a full autopsy was performed. When they opened him up, his heart looked like someone had crushed it with their hand inside his chest. There wasn't any other injuries on the body, not even a bruise,” Sam explained.

“Yup, that sounds like our kinda thing.”

“Yeah, it does, and with it being so close to Ari’s hometown, there is no way this is a coincidence. This has got to be Michael,” Sam said with a sigh.

“Do you think this Joel Harris that went missing is his new vessel?” Dean asked.

“That's exactly what I think.”

“Hey, didn't Steven’s dad die of a heart attack?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, he did. Do you think maybe it's going to come up as the same thing?” Sam asked.

“For Ari’s sake, I hope not. She barely got through Dylan’s death. We may want to get a look at that autopsy if Jay and Steven didn't find anything out today.” 

 

“Gabe could probably zap us in to check it out if they didn't,” Sam suggested.

“Maybe, but unless something else happens, we have nothing else to go on. You heard the Sheriff when he told us they had all but closed the case on their end. We could go check out the guy’s car or the spot where it was found, but if this is Michael related he didn't leave anything behind. The hiker probably just was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Dean mused

“We need to find out if Steven’s dad is the same thing.”

“We will have to wait to talk to everyone until after we move their stuff out of Steven’s dad’s house. Because I imagine it will be hard to be able to talk about it with Steven so close.”

“Agreed. Once we get back to the house we can let everyone know we need to talk after Steven goes to bed.”

* * *

Steven and Arianna, who had changed into jean shorts, walked into his living room carrying large cardboard boxes that had her and her brothers’ names written on them. Steven, after quickly looking around, pushed the coffee table that was in the middle of the room against the back of the couch and placed down the box he had been carrying where the table had been. After Arianna set hers next to his, she noticed that it had been folded shut instead of taped like the others in Matt’s basement.  

“Did Luke or Jay open this one?” she asked, pointing at the box.

“No, actually,” he paused as a painful memory washed over him. “I think dad was in it. I saw him lying next to it the morning I found him. It was wide open so I just folded it back up.”

“I'm sorry, Steven. I didn't mean to…” Her voice trailed off.

“No, it’s OK. I don't know why he was in it though. I looked inside, but I didn't know what was in it to begin with, so I don't know if he took anything out or not.”

Arianna looked down at the cardboard container, and in the back of her mind she felt a force pulling her to the box. Why was something so ordinary as a box being opened causing such a pull on her? She felt a shiver go down her spine. 

“Hey! Earth to Ari!” Luke called, pulling her from her thoughts.

She quickly looked in the direction of the voice and saw Luke standing beside her, holding another large box and looking at her expectantly. She noticed that Jay, Gabriel, Sam, and Dean were all standing behind her, each carrying a load from Matt’s basement. How long had she been lost in her head? When did everyone come in?

“Ari!” Luke said again, this time a little annoyed. “Where do you want these?”

“Um, just set them here,” she said, indicating where the other two boxes laid.

As Luke moved to set his box on top of the one that had been opened, Arianna quickly moved in front of him and moved the box to the side. Luke looked at her confused as he set his load down in the now empty space.

“I want to go through that one first,” she said with a shrug.

A little while later there was a stack of fourteen boxes in the middle of the room and one pulled off to the side. Arianna, her brothers, Gabriel, and the Winchesters all sat around where the Lawson siblings’ memories were stacked, each with a beer in their hand. They all sat in silence, taking a drink of their beers here and there. All except for Arianna. She hadn't been able to take her eyes off of the one box she had moved to the side. She picked at the label on her beer bottle as she fought the urge to rip into it.

Steven walked through the living room holding his car keys in his hand. He paused and smiled as he looked at his house guests sitting together on his living room floor. He could almost feel the unspoken connection between all of them.

“This is crazy to say, but you all just seem to really fit together,” Steven said.

Everyone but Arianna turned to look at him.

“Yeah, we all just seemed to fall into sync,” Jay mused, glancing at his fellow hunters and the Archangel.

They all had smiles across their faces as they nodded in agreement. Arianna, however, still kept her eyes glued to the one box.

“Where are you going, Steven?” Luke asked.

“Going to pick up a few pizzas. I’ll be back in a few.”

When he had walked out the door and closed it behind him, the mood in the room changed instantly. Sam and Dean had told the others when they returned from the medical examiner’s office that they needed to talk with them the first chance they got. With Steven gone, Luke, Jay, and Gabriel immediately turned to Sam and Dean.

“What’s going on guys?” Gabriel asked.

The brothers took a quick glance at each other before they began. They spoke quickly, filling them in on the details they had discovered in Knoxville and how they were convinced that it was Michael, now using Joel Harris as his vessel. Finally, they reached the part they were dreading and asked Jay what he and Steven had found out from the coroner.

“He wouldn't talk about it. Just told me he needed to process before he told me,” Jay said. “Do you really think the two could be connected?”

“It could be unfortunately. We just think there is no way it’s a coincidence that Joel’s car was found so close to here,” Dean said.

“I can get you guys into the coroner’s office. We should probably keep Steven as far away from this as possible,” Gabriel offered.

“Thanks Gabe. We should probably go tonight after Steven goes to bed,” Sam said.

“Probably a good idea,” Gabriel said.

“Ari, Luke, Jay, it might make more sense for the three of you to stay here. There is too much of a chance of someone knowing who you guys are. Are you OK with that?” Sam asked.

“Yeah,” Luke and Jay said together.

All of them noticed at the same time that Arianna hadn't answered and turned their eyes in her direction and saw that she was still staring at the same spot. Luke and Jay shared a worried glance.

“Sugar? You alright?” Gabriel asked

She didn't move or break her stare. Gabriel looked to the others and was met with the same mixture of confusion and worry in their faces that filled his own.

 

“Ari? Did you hear anything we just said?” Luke asked.

“There is something in there,” she said to herself.

Without any warning or giving anyone time to react to her words, she was to her feet. In a second she was kneeling beside the box, pulling the flaps open and digging through the photo albums. Getting frustrated quickly, she grabbed the box and tipped it over, spilling its contents. She searched around in the pile on the floor until her hand finally connected with a large envelope, thick with whatever was shoved inside of it.

“What’s that?” Jay asked.

She looked up and realized that everyone had come to kneel around her. She then ran her fingers over the front of the envelope, and caressed the words written there with her fingertips, eyes growing large as the names written there processed in her brain. All she could do was hold the envelope up so the others could read it. 

 

On the front of the envelope in Matt Morris’ handwriting were the names:  

 

_ Ari, Luke, Jay, Gabriel, Sam, and Dean _

“What the hell?!” Dean exclaimed.

Everyone stared wide eyed at the envelope in Arianna’s hand.

“I don't know. This is Matt’s handwriting though,” Arianna said, bewildered.

“I get the three of you, but why us, and how?” Sam asked.

“Only one way to find out,” Luke said. “Open it, sis.”

Arianna looked up to the others, then with silent agreement between them all, Arianna carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the two pieces of paper it contained. When she separated the pages, a photo fell to the ground along with a small blue velvet bag tied closed with a braided silk string. Jay bent down to pick up the objects to inspect them, seeing that the photo was of their mom when she was younger with another girl around her age, along with an older man and woman.

The younger girl and their mother both had long blonde hair and blue eyes, and the older woman had the same colored eyes with short graying blonde hair. The older man was tall with green eyes, and his bald head gleamed slightly in the photo. The four sat together on a couch in what may have been their living room.

“Who are those people with Mom?” Jay asked, showing the picture to his brother and sister.

Luke and Arianna shrugged, and Jay turned the photo for the others to see. All three of their faces immediately went white as their mouths dropped open in shock.

“Guys! What's wrong?!” Arianna asked suddenly, worried.

“The other people in the picture…” Sam started, his voice trailing off as his brain processed.

“You know them?” Luke asked.

“Yeah,” Dean started, his voice catching, “the younger girl next to your mom, is our mom. And the other two, they're our grandparents.”

“What?!” Arianna, Luke, and Jay said together in shock

Arianna and Gabriel’s eyes met, both of them remembering their conversation from that morning about her parents being from Lawrence. 

“Last night,” Gabriel started with a deep breath, “Steven mentioned in passing that Ari, Luke, and Jay’s parents moved here from Lawrence, and they didn't know. I had a feeling there was a connection, but when I spoke to Ari about it this morning, we decided to wait until after the funeral to bring it up to you guys.”

Sam and Dean looked at each other, both unsure of how to react. Glancing at the Lawson siblings, they could see they were feeling the same way.

“So, are we related?” Jay asked.

“What was your mom’s maiden name?” Sam asked.

“Ally Campbell,” Arianna whispered.

All of the color was gone from Sam and Dean’s faces now.

“Talk guys!” Luke demanded.

“Our mom’s maiden name was Mary Campbell,” Dean managed to choke out.

“What does the letter say?” Gabriel asked.

Arianna stared down at the letter. She had almost forgotten that she was holding it. Her eyes skimmed over the words on the page, her brain not really connecting with their meanings at first. After a few moments, she began to read the words aloud.

_ Ari, Luke, Jay, Winchesters, Gabriel, _

_ I don't have much time, but there are things you all need to know. The people in the picture with Ally are her younger sister, Mary, and her parents, Deanna and Samuel. I'm sure Sam, Dean, and Gabriel can fill in the details with that. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to write out everything else you need to know. But, there are certain things you need to know now. I believe it will help you understand why things are happening the way they are. This is where the velvet bag comes in to play. On the next page is a spell that will show you everything you need. One of you must pour the powder in the bag into your hand, recite the spell, then throw the powder in your hand. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you do this immediately. I'm afraid time is of the essence. Ari, Luke, and Jay, please know that I love all three of you and that I do not regret a single choice I have made. I would make them all over again. Please, never blame yourselves. We were all adults and made our own choices. _

_ Love, _

_ Matt _

As the final words of the letter were read a deafening silence settled over the room. Questions swarmed in their heads. How did he know what was going on? How did he know about Sam, Dean, and Gabriel? How could he have known his time was limited? If they were all related, then how had they never even heard of each other? How did they not know their mothers were sisters?

“So, we’re cousins?” Dean finally managed to say, breaking the silence.

“I...I guess so,” Luke started. “Did your mom ever mention having a sister after Amara brought her back?” 

“No, she mentioned that everyone she tried to look up was dead,” Sam said.

“Why did they never tell us?” Jay asked.

“Listen guys, I don't mean to sound like Captain Obvious here, but I think if you do that spell we will get all of your questions answered,” Gabriel said, gesturing towards the letter still in Arianna’s hands.

Another silence settled over the newfound cousins as they looked at each other, and none were really sure if they  _ wanted  _ to know. Finally, Arianna flipped the letter over and saw the Latin words written on the next page. She looked to her angel, her brothers, and her cousins.

“Are you guys ready for this?” she asked cautiously.

With nods of agreement all around, Arianna held her hand out and Jay poured a silver powder from the velvet bag into it. Arianna took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she looked back to the words on the page and began to read aloud once again.

“Mihi autem ejus significantur vera in praeteritis necessaria ad me, sic fiat semper,” she said, then threw the silver powder into the air.

For a moment, the sparkling substance seemed to defy gravity as it hung in the air between them. Slowly at first the particles began to multiply, and soon the shimmering dust was all the way through the room. It covered each of them, and a sense of dread settled over the group as the room began to tremble. When the walls appeared to be evaporating, their eyes became heavy, and a dizziness set in that brought them all to their knees. White light began to fill the room, taking away the rest of the walls and the floor beneath them. Once all traces of the area around them had been extinguished, they fell one by one to the ground unconscious.

* * *

_ March 8, 1973 _

It was a brisk night as Ally Campbell hurried down the sidewalk of a small suburban neighborhood in Lawrence, Kansas. She chanced a glanced over her shoulder, her sapphire blue eyes still wet with tears, before looking back ahead and tucking her long blonde hair behind her ear. She was relieved that he had not followed her. 

The fight she had had with her father, Samuel, had been loud and angry. Her family was in the business of hunting monsters and when she had told him she didn't want any part of it anymore, his anger had exploded. He told her she wouldn't be safe without the shelter of her family, and she had shot back that she wasn't safe fighting monsters, either. Hours of screaming and hurtful words said out of anger later, she had grabbed her large duffle bag filled with clothes and was out the door. 

She could still hear her sister, Mary, crying, begging her not to leave her alone. It broke her heart to leave her and her mother, but being a hunter was never what she had wanted. She had fought with the decision to leave for years, but when she met two army buddies in town on an extended leave and fell in love with one of them, Chris, she knew she had to get out. 

 

Earlier that day, she had told her love and his friend what her family did for a living, and had expected them to think that she was crazy. However, they had shared a knowing look and told her that they believed her because they had encountered hunters in the past. When she had told Chris that she wanted out, he asked her to marry him and to come with him to Tennessee. She had accepted his offer without a second thought. 

When she saw his black 1971 Dodge Charger turn the corner of the street she was walking down, her heart swelled. He immediately parked once he saw her and quickly got out, his emerald green eyes and chestnut hair seeming to sparkle in the moonlight as they ran towards each other and embraced.

“Oh, Chris!” she sobbed into his chest. “It was terrible! He hates me!”

“I’m sure that's not true, babe,” he said comfortingly as he tightened his arms around her. “I'm sure he was just angry. In time he will understand.”

She cried into his chest, her heart breaking into pieces.

“It’s OK, sweetheart,” he said, trying to soothe her. “Our whole life awaits us. I promise, I will give you the life you always wanted. A home, marriage, a few kids. Hell, we will even have a damn white picket fence if you want.”

She finally looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face. She smiled at him the best she could.

“I love you, Chris,” was all she could think to say.

He smiled lovingly at her. “I love you, too.” He kissed her sweetly. “We need to go now. Matt is waiting on us a couple of blocks away.”

When she nodded her agreement, they hurried to his car and got in. As the tail lights disappeared into the night, a man appeared in the middle of the road. His hazel eyes had a hint of sadness in them as the wind blew through his short silver hair. He shook his head sadly as he vanished, leaving behind a faint sound of flapping wings.

* * *

_ May 16, 1986 _

Chris Lawson smiled as he leaned against the doorway of a nursery. He watched as his wife Ally rocked their twin baby boys to sleep in a rocking chair. The sounds of cooing babies and his wife’s humming filled the room and him with more joy than he ever thought possible. It wasn’t just the happiness of the beautiful sight before him, but it was their accomplishment as well.

They had managed to start a life together away from the terrors of Ally’s past, just like she had wanted. After the deaths of her parents a month after they had first left Kansas, the death of her sister Mary in November three years previously, and the disappearance of Mary’s husband John along with both of their nephews they had both been devastated. They had attempted to search for them for two years, but it was as if John and his sons had vanished. When Ally became pregnant, they had made the difficult decision to abandon their search.

The news of their impending bundles of joy had reminded them of the dangers that they had run away from in the first place. The safety of their own children had to come first, and they cut ties with the remaining members of Ally’s family. They didn’t tell them about the twins, and intended to keep it that way.

When the cooing of the babies had stopped and their little eyes had closed in sleep, Ally looked up lovingly at her husband. Taking her cue, he quietly walked over to her and gently picked up one of the babies from her arms. He looked down at the baby and was overwhelmed by the amount of love he felt for this tiny human.

“Good night, Luke,” Chris whispered as he kissed the babe on the forehead.

Ally stood from the rocking chair, cradling the other baby boy in her arms. Chris smiled and gently placed a kiss on the infant’s forehead as well.

“Good night, Jay,” he whispered.

A few minutes later Ally and Chris were outside of the nursery, quietly closing the door. As they walked down the hallway to their living room, Chris slipped his arm around his wife’s shoulders.

“We made a couple of beautiful babies, my love,” he said proudly.

“We sure did,” she said, smiling.

“I think we could do it again,” he said.

Ally laughed. “They are 3 days old and you already want another one! You're gonna have to give me a little time to recover!”

“I don't mean right now, but a little girl would really compete the family, don't you think?”

“Yes, I have to agree.”

They both smiled contently and turned the corner into their living room, and the sight that met them instantly set them into fight mode. Ally took a posture ready to attack as Chris stood protectively in front of her, prepared for combat as well. In the center of their living room was a silver-haired, hazel-eyed man. He stood with a relaxed posture, not flinching in their reactions towards him.

“Hello, Ally. Hello, Chris,” the man said calmly as he looked at them.

“Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?!” Chris demanded.

“My name is Joshua. I am an angel of the Lord. God himself asked me to speak with you.” 

Looks of shock covered Chris and Ally’s faces. Chris turned his head to the side, but made sure to keep his eyes on Joshua.

“Do angels even exist?” he asked Ally quickly.

“Not that I've ever heard of,” she answered honestly.

Joshua sighed and Chris turned his head back to him. The lights in the room began to flicker wildly as Joshua’s eyes lit up with a bluish-white light. He rolled his shoulders and two large shadows burst into view behind him. As the shadows extended, Ally and Chris realized they were the shadow of his wings. 

“Oh my God! He  _ is _ an angel!” Ally exclaimed.

When the glow from his eyes and the shadow of his wings were gone, the lights in the room stopped blinking, and he gave them a moment to process before he spoke again.

“I do not have much time. I need to return to the garden before any of the other angels notice my absence.”

Relaxing their postures slightly, Ally and Chris looked at each other, neither knowing exactly what to do. They looked back to the angel to find him looking at them, waiting for their acceptance of what was happening. They simply nodded at him.

“It seems that certain events are going to take place in the future, and my Father feels that it is time to take certain measures. A war is coming, and he has chosen the two of you to take care of a powerful weapon He has created, one that only three of the Archangels know about,” Joshua explained.

“A weapon? What kind of weapon?” Ally asked.

“A child that will grow into a warrior.”

“No way! I'm not letting any child of mine get mixed up in some angel war! Not going to happen!” Ally yelled.

“I agree, we won't allow it!” Chris agreed.

Joshua sighed. “I am afraid you do not have a choice. Your sister already made the deal that set the impending war on its course. It is a bloodline thing now.”

“What did Mary do?” Ally asked as dread crept into her voice.

“I am not allowed to divulge many details, but I can tell you that her sons will play huge roles in the coming fight, as will the daughter you will have in February of 1988. There is nothing you can do to stop this.”

“We’ll see about that,” Chris said protectively.

“Fighting this will only lead to unnecessary bloodshed. She must be ready to play her part, and if you will not prepare her, then I will put her on a path to prepare her,” Joshua warned.

“Are you threatening my family  _ and _ me?” Chris asked, his anger burning through him.

“See it however it helps you to see it. She must know of the world that awaits her. If you do not prepare her, then I will have to. Please, heed my warning.”

Without another word, Joshua was gone.

An hour later found Matt Morris standing in the middle of the Lawson’s living room, his arms crossed over his chest as he tried to make sense out of what his friends had just told him.

“So, are we sure this was really an angel?” Matt asked, hoping they were wrong.

“We told you what we saw, Matt. No, my family never encountered angels as far as I know. But, if demons are real, then why wouldn't angels be?” Ally said.

Matt sighed heavily. “What’s the plan?”

Chris and Ally shared an uncertain glance before Chris reached over and took his wife’s hand in his.

“I guess we see if Ally gets pregnant first. If she does, we take measures to protect  _ all _ of our children.” Chris said.

“I’ll start researching angels and see if there is anything we can use to protect ourselves. I never thought I would need to protect myself and my family from angels. Why did I think I would be able to get away from this shit?” Ally said sadly.

Chris pulled her into a hug. “We will do this together, baby. Everything is going to be OK.”

“Yeah, Ally, we are in this together,” Matt said reassuringly.

* * *

_ February 20, 1988 _

It was dark and thunder rolled in the distance as Chris and Matt dug a hole in the ground in the back corner of Chris and Ally’s property. When they finished, Chris reached into a burlap sack that was laying beside him on the ground. He pulled out a large flat rock painted with red Enochian symbols and placed it in the middle of the hole. He and Matt then quickly shoveled dirt over the stone, covering it completely.

“Do you really think this is going to work?” Matt asked as he threw dirt onto the pile with his shovel.

“Ally says the angel warding will work,” Chris replied.

“I hope she's right.”

“She is, I have to believe that. She could go into labor any day now. Our home has to be safe for our daughter and our sons.”

“Do you really think hiding her is the best plan?”

“We don't have a choice, Matt. I refuse to let my daughter be used as just an object by a bunch of angels in a pissing contest and Ally would rather die than see her kids become hunters. We will keep them all safe from this.”

Matt nodded his agreement as he glanced at the storm that had started to move in overhead.

“Matt,” Chris started, a little uncertainty in his voice.

“What is it?”

“If something happens to us, and they get to her, just let them know that we tried.” Chris spoke softly, doubt showing ever so slightly in his voice.

“She’s going to be strong, determined, and smart just like her mom. Whatever happens, I believe she will handle it with Luke and Jay by her side.” 

When the last shovel of dirt was thrown onto the pile, lightning lit up the night sky. Thunder rolled loudly above their heads and the first raindrops of the storm fell from the sky.

* * *

_ February 26, 2004 _

Seventeen-year-old Luke and Jay crept into a sleeping sixteen-year-old Arianna’s bedroom. The twins smiled excitedly at each other as they quietly closed her bed room door then snuck to the foot of her bed, still grinning broadly. She was sleeping directly in the middle of her queen-size bed. They then nodded at each other.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!” they screamed in unison as they jumped onto her bed, landing on either side of her.

She jumped and screamed at the sudden noise and movement. When she realized what was happening she smiled and laughed. The brothers settled in on either side of her, laying on her bed with their arms behind their heads. She mirrored their positions.

“Thanks guys!” she said happily.

“So what do you want to do today, sis? This is one of the big birthdays. We have to do something epic!” Luke said excitedly.

“Yeah, Sweet Sixteen is huge! What we do today will set us up for the huge celebration we have for mine and Luke’s eighteenth birthday in May,” Jay said with enthusiasm, matching his brother’s.

“Hmm,” she said thoughtfully. “Steven should be here soon. We can decide once he gets here.”

Luke groaned and rolled his eyes. “Does he really have to be here today?” he whined.

Arianna glared at him. “Yes, he has to be here! You need to get over yourself, Luke! You guys used to be friends!”

“Yeah, until he started dating my sister and trying to get in her pants!” Luke said angrily.

“Come on, you guys. That’s enough. Today is going to be a good day. No arguing is allowed,” Jay said, attempting to stop an argument before it happened.

A hour later Ally smiled lovingly at her husband as she placed plates of pancakes around a dining room table for each member of her family. Chris returned her smile from a seat at the head of the table and closed and folded the newspaper he had been reading, laying it on the table next to his food.

“Well, Ally, we made it to her sweet 16!” he said happily.

“We did. I'm very happy,” she said with forced enthusiasm.

Chris’ smile faded. “What’s wrong, my love?”

Ally sat down in the seat next to him. “Here lately I've just been thinking this is all too good to be true.”

“What do you mean? We’ve worked hard for this security, not to mention keeping it all from the kids and letting them have a life as well,” he reminded her. 

“I know, and I'm very grateful for that. I just think it’s strange that we haven't seen or heard anything since that night Joshua showed up in our living room. I'm just worried, Chris.”

Chris reached over and took Ally’s hand in his. “Listen, sweetheart, whatever comes our way, we will deal with it together. Our kids are strong and I've made sure all of them can hold their own in a fight if by some odd chance it comes to that. Ari is particularly good at it.”

“That honestly scares me. I can't stand the thought of…” her voice trailed off.

Chris squeezed her hand. “She won't.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I won't allow it.”

Hours later, Chris sat in his living room mindlessly watching some TV show. After cake, presents, and an early dinner, his children had gone off to celebrate his daughter’s birthday with her boyfriend. He glanced at the wall clock from his place on the couch. The time was 10:55 and he knew they would be back any minute. 

Shortly after, he heard the front door open and the sound of his sons and daughter came through the door. They sounded so happy as they chatted about the movie they had seen and what else they had done. 

“Love you, Dad! Good night!” Luke and Jay called as they passed the entrance of the living room on their way to their bedrooms.

“Love you, boys! Good night!” he called after them, looking towards the threshold of the room.

He smiled brightly when he saw Arianna standing there.

“Hey, sweet girl! How was your day?” he asked.

She smiled and went to sit on the couch next to him.

“It was fantastic, Dad!” she exclaimed, her happiness almost making her glow.

“I'm glad, baby.”

She somehow managed to smile even brighter. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him on the cheek and stood from the couch.

“I just wanted to say hi before I went to bed. Thank you for helping to make my birthday amazing, Dad! You and Mom really are the best!” she said appreciatively.

“You're very welcome, my sweet girl. Good night. I love you!”

“Good night Dad! I love you, too,” she said as she walked to the threshold.

“Happy birthday, Ari.”

She turned to look at him. “Thanks, Dad!” she said, and was out of the room.

He smiled to himself as he stared at where his daughter had just exited. When he turned his eyes back to the TV, he saw something next to him on the couch. He jerked as he turned himself to look and when his brain registered what he was seeing, fury shot through him.

“What do you want, Joshua?” he demanded.

Joshua stared at the ground as he spoke. “She’s beautiful and she seems very kind. Softhearted I would say.”

“What do you want?!” Chris demanded again.

Joshua looked into his eyes, and Chris was taken aback by the sadness he saw there. He couldn't help but let a little of his anger go.

“Just so you know, the warding stone you placed at the back left corner of your property has a root growing through it that has broken the warding sigil,” Joshua said softly, his sadness coming through in his voice.

“Joshua...” Chris’ voice came out as a whisper.

“I am sorry. If it is any consolation, I never wanted this. I am only following orders given to me by my Father. I have stayed away hoping she could live a happy life until she is needed. But, it can't be that way. I know now that if she continues on the path she is on, she will die, and so will your sons. My Father gave me a glimpse of their future as it stands and I am sorry, but I must change it.”

“What are you going to do?” Chris felt sorrow crash down on him.

“Nothing at the moment. But, there will come a time in the coming months where I will have to take actions to prepare her. God demands it.”

Chris stared at Joshua. In his heart he knew the angel was telling him the truth. He had fought for almost eighteen years to keep his family safe. He now knew he would do whatever he needed to make sure he saved his children’s lives.

“What do you need me to do?” he finally conceded.

Joshua sighed as he looked to the ground again.

“For now, continue their happy life. They will need all the precious memories possible to make it through the rest of their lives. I won't ask you to not tell your wife, but be warned, she will want to hide and that will make things worse for everyone.”

Joshua looked back to Chris, and he silently nodded for the angel to continue.

“I can give you five more months of happiness. Then I have to take certain actions. I am so sorry.”

* * *

_ July 31, 2004 _

Chris laid awake in his and his wife’s tent, Ally sleeping peacefully beside him. He had had a bad feeling all day and he had kept up a happy face for the sake of his wife and kids. The allotted time Joshua had given him had been up for a few days now, and he had been waiting on the inevitable ever since. He didn't even flinch when Joshua appeared in a sitting position next to him.

“Hello Chris,” Joshua said, devastation in his voice.

“Hello Joshua.”

“It is time.”

“I'm going to die tonight, aren't I?”

Joshua hung his head, and a single tear fell from his eye.

“I wish there was another way. I cannot go against my Father’s wishes,” Joshua said, his voice breaking slightly.

“Can you tell me if they will be OK?” Chris asked, tears starting to fall from his own eyes.

“That is ultimately unknown, but they will have a better chance at survival. Father has assigned an Archangel to her, and despite what my brothers and sisters think of him, I believe he will step up and stand beside her when the time comes. All he wants is peace, and I think he will see that is all she will want as well.”

“Which Archangel?”

“Gabriel.”

“He will protect her?”

“They are meant to protect each other.”

“What about my sons?”

“They will be her motivation to never give up.”

Chris nodded solemnly. “What do I need to do?”

“Just sleep.”

Joshua placed his index finger to Chris’ temple, causing him to fall asleep instantly. He pulled his hand away and pointed to the closed opening of the tent, and the zipper slowly made its way around until flap unfastened. Joshua took one last look at the sleeping forms of Chris and Ally with tears streaming down his face.

“I am sorry,” he said, then vanished.

A dark figure stuck its head inside the tent. The moonlight from outside shined just enough light on its face to reveal the sharp teeth of a hungry werewolf. The creature let out a loud growl as it pounced on the unconscious couple.

* * *

_ Three days before finding Matt’s letter _

Joshua stood before Matt in his kitchen. He explained who he was and how he had traveled from the past to speak with him.

“Why did you have to come from the past?” Matt questioned.

“Because in this time, I am dead.”

“Why are you here?”

Joshua took a deep breath and exhaled. “The way things were supposed to play out have changed drastically. Arianna, Luke, and Jay are facing something they were never supposed to. They need to know what happened in their past. They need to know of their connection with Sam and Dean Winchester.”

“Their cousins? How do they find them?”

“They already have, along with my brother, Gabriel. They all need to know their connection. It will make them stronger and give them more of an incentive to take on this evil together, because together is the only way they all survive.”

“I will get a hold of them immediately.”

“I'm afraid there isn't time for that. My other brother is coming for you. He will kill you tonight and I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do to stop it.”

Matt looked at the angel incredulously. Since Chris and Ally had died and their kids had taken on the life of hunters, part of him had always known it would come to this. He took comfort in knowing he had at least been able to see his son grow into a man.

“What do I need to do?” he asked, knowing he had no other option.

“Write them a letter and place a photo of Ally and her family inside of it. Explain who they are the best you can. I will give you a spell to include in the letter that will show them what they need to know. I will explain the spell to you so you can write down the instructions.”

“How long do we have?”

Joshua sighed sadly. “Fifteen minutes.”

“Then we better get started.”

* * *

_ Present time _

The silver mist inside of Steven’s living room slowly faded away as the hunters and the Archangel began to stir. One by one they opened their eyes and pushed themselves into a sitting position on the floor. They looked from one to the other, unsure of what to say or do; none had expected to see what had been revealed to them.

Arianna got to her feet and walked away from the group. She wrapped her arms around herself as she started to pace in front of the front door. Tears fell from her eyes, and her breathing was ragged, chest tight, making it hard to breathe.

The rest of the group got to their feet and approached her cautiously. Gabriel moved to take her into his arms and she jerked away from him, shaking her head violently. She backed herself against the door and stared at the ground. Gabriel looked back to her brothers and her cousins and was met with expressions of worry and unease. Gabriel turned his eyes back to Arianna, and the pain and anguish on her face ripped at his chest. 

“Ari,” he whispered.

“It’s my fault. It’s all my fault,” she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head.

“Ari, no!” Jay said, closing the distance between him and his sister.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and she jerked to the side, away from his touch.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” she screamed as the lights in the room flickered for a moment.

Jay recoiled at her reaction. He had never seen her like this. He looked back to his brother, desperate for his help. Luke approached her and she moved further away from all of them, backing herself into the corner by the door.

“I SAID NO!” she screamed again, and the lights flickered in response.

“Guys, give her some space,” Gabriel warned. He could feel the unstable energy rolling off of her like a bomb about to explode. “She’s extremely upset, and her powers are reacting to it.”

Jay and Luke moved to stand next to Gabriel, and Sam and Dean cautiously joined them.

“Ari, none of this is your fault,” Gabriel said calmly.

“DON’T TRY TO PLACATE ME!” Lights flickered as she screamed. “My parents are dead because of me! Matt is dead because of me! Dylan is dead because of me! Jay and Luke are in this life because they followed me! They don't have wives or families because of me!” Her voice cracked and faltered as she spoke, tears getting caught in her throat. “No one else is going to die because of me,” she whispered.

Luke slowly took a step forward. “Ari, none of this is because of you. Jay and I made our own decisions. So did Mom and Dad.”

“Stay away from me,” she warned darkly.

He looked over to Sam and Dean, begging for their help with his eyes.

Sam took a tentative step towards her. She glared at him and the lights blinked again, but he ignored it and moved another step closer.

“Ari, I know what it feels like to think you're the reason for all the bloodshed in your family.” He took another step. “But, Luke is right. Everyone made their own choices. You didn't make anyone do anything.” Another step. “Ari, please, listen to me. We all love you. None of us blame you for anything.”

He was three steps away from her when she thrust her hands out in front of her.

“I SAID STAY AWAY FROM ME!!” she screamed.

Purple light erupted from her hands and rushed forward towards everyone. They all let out surprised and strangled cries as they went flying through the air and into the far wall. It fractured and drywall dust was sent into the air, the lights in the room flickered violently before bursting, and wind whipped throughout the room fiercely, upturning the furniture and sending the cardboard boxes flying around the room. 

Arianna pushed herself from the wall and ran to the front door. She whipped it open and continued through it, hearing Gabriel scream her name as she did. She ran off the porch and to her car, and as soon as she was inside she shoved the keys into the ignition and the engine roared to life. The dark blue Camaro peeled out of the driveway and down the street, disappearing from view.

Gabriel pulled himself up off the ground and to his feet, breaking into a run. Just as fast, Luke was up and after him. They both skidded to a halt in the middle of the yard when they saw that Arianna’s Camaro was gone. Their eyes darted around for any sign of her.

“Where is she Gabriel?!” Luke asked urgently.

Gabriel pushed his grace out, searching for her, but felt nothing. He couldn't find her.

“I don't know. She’s hidden herself from me,” he said dejectedly.

Sam, Dean, and Jay came running outside, stopping when they came to Luke and Gabriel.

“Where is she?!” Jay asked, his fear for his sister clear.

“Jay, Luke, is there anywhere around here she would go to when she’s upset?” Dean asked, trying and failing to sound calm.

Jay and Luke looked at each other with large, worried eyes, both trying to think of where she could have gone.

“There’s a few places. Jay, take Sam and Dean to our old house. Make sure you look near the creek where we used to swim. Gabriel and I will go to the lake and the cemetery. If you don't hear from us after you're done at the house, go to the cemetery,” Luke instructed, taking charge of the situation.

Sam, Dean, and Jay nodded and headed toward the Impala at a run. Luke looked to Gabriel as he put his hand on his shoulder.

“Think of where we need to go,” Gabriel said.

Luke nodded and with a faint sound of wings, they were gone.

* * *

Arianna dropped to the ground and laid between her parents’ grave stones. She curled her body into a fetal position and began to sob. Her tears flowed freely to the ground beneath her, and her chest ached as her body fought to breathe through her cries. The pit that had formed in her stomach churned, threatening to spill the contents of her stomach.

“I'm sorry!” she choked out. “All of this is because of me!”

She screamed and sobbed into the ground, and her guilt raged through her mind, dulling all of her senses. She didn't see or hear when a man in a black trench coat and fedora appeared beside her. She didn't notice when a pile of chain appeared on the ground next to him.

 

A chain that had Archangel binding sigils carved into each and every link.

He raised his head enough to show the obsidian skin of his jaw and a wicked smile on his lips. He laughed as he watched her crying and in pain, reveling in the fact that she had no idea he was there, that she had no idea what was about to happen. He held his hand out, turning it in a slow circle.

The chain at his feet started to move. It slithered out and through the grass like a snake stalking its prey, the iron links wounding through the grass towards Arianna’s shaking body. 

Through her guilt rattled brain and the sound of her own sobs, she almost didn't hear her own instincts screaming at her to react. With a jolt to her system, she pushed herself up into a sitting position as she tried to push her tears away. The iron chain sprang forward at the same time and wrapped itself around her neck. 

The force knocked her forward onto her stomach as she screamed. The links tightened around her neck as the rest of the chain started to wrap tightly around her body. Rolling to her side, she clawed at the chain around her neck and kicked at the iron trying to wrap around her ankles. Her fighting was rendered useless when she felt something hit her hard enough to knock the wind out of her on her back. The shock of the hit stalled her movements long enough for the binding chain to lock around her arms and wrists. Shortly after, she felt the iron wrap around her knees and ankles. She pulled as hard as she could against her restraints, desperately trying to call on her powers to break the chains.

“Fight all you want, Arianna. The Archangel binding on that chain prevents you from using those new Guardian powers of yours,” the man behind her said.

Arianna froze as fear ripped through her body. She knew that voice. How could she forget? But, how? He was dead. There was no way. She was roughly rolled on to her back. She peered up into the face of the man who was kneeling beside her, laughing at her. Her eyes grew large and round, her breath caught in her throat, her stomach knotted inside of her.

“Raphael…” she whispered in terrified disbelief.

His laughter continued as he pulled her up to him by the chains around her neck. She was inches from his face, his hot breath landing on her skin.

“You're mine again, Arianna,” Raphael whispered

“Get away from her you son of a bitch!” Gabriel demanded angrily behind them.

Hope burst through her chest at the sound of his voice, and she instantly regretted leaving his side in the first place. The wind was knocked out of her again as Raphael threw her to the ground. She could see Gabriel, glaring at Raphael’s back, and Luke stood beside him with the same deadly look on his face. Gabriel clutched the Archangel blade in his right hand while Luke had his gun drawn, aiming in Raphael's direction.

Raphael slowly stood and turned to face Gabriel and Luke. A regular angel blade descended from his sleeve into his hand, and both their faces fell as their brains registered who was standing before them. It only took a second for Luke’s shock to turn into pure rage, Gabriel’s expression quickly turning the same.

“Gabriel!” Raphael called in mock excitement. “The runaway finally makes an appearance! Tell me brother, how was your time with Asmodeus?” he asked with a taunting smile.

Gabriel’s expression faltered for a second into confusion before anger took over again.

“How did you....” he started and then shook his head, making the question go away. “How are you alive?” he demanded.

Raphael laughed. “Let’s just say, I have powerful friends I didn't even know I had.” Another wicked smile spread across his lips. “And to answer your other question: Who do you think tipped Asmodeus off to where he could find an Archangel who no one would miss?”

“You bastard!” Gabriel growled.

“And now you've gone and fallen in love with a weapon? Come on, brother. She’s nothing but something to be used at our disposal.” Raphael’s tone was taunting and cruel.

Arianna could see the pure loathing in her brother and Gabriel’s eyes. She saw the sideways glance and small nod of agreement between them and then they suddenly charged. But Raphael had been expecting it; he knew his insult would send them both at him. He waited until they were in striking distance before he thrust his hand towards Gabriel, sending another iron chain covered in Archangel binding sigils toward him. As the chain twisted around Gabriel and wrestled him to the ground, Raphael turned on Luke and shoved the angel blade into his stomach. He pulled the blade to the side, slicing through Luke’s abdomen.

“LUKE!!!!” Arianna screamed, fighting against her restraints.

Raphael smiled as he pulled the angel blade from Luke and pushed him, making him fall to the ground. Arianna felt like she couldn't breathe as she watched Luke’s blood spill to the earth. She then felt herself being picked up by the chain wrapped around her neck as Luke coughed, more blood falling from his mouth.

Gabriel fought desperately against the iron wrapped around him. He could feel Luke slipping away and fast. He watched as Raphael picked Arianna up by the chain around her neck. Before he vanished with her, he looked into Gabriel’s eyes and gave him an eerie smile, verging on psychotic.   
  
Then he and Arianna were gone.

“ARI!!!!” Gabriel screamed, his voice echoing through the darkness of the cemetery.


	7. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the crazy long space between posting!
> 
> Few warnings, there is talk of torture, actual torture, referenced non con, and violence in this chapter. But, there is smut at the end to make up for it.

**Chapter 7: Revelations**

 

The Archangel binding was strong and Gabriel pulled and fought with everything he had against the iron restraints, but he could hardly move. He could hear Luke choking on his own blood and felt him slipping away to death. Relief washed over him when heard the familiar roar of the Impala’s engine, and he whipped his head around the best he could when the car’s tires screeched to a halt. He saw Dean, Sam, and Jay bound out of the car, and Jay ran straight for his brother, dropping to his knees to pull the dying man to rest against his chest. Sam and Dean immediately tried to loosen the chains that were wrapped around Gabriel.

Jay clutched at his brother's body, taking in the gaping wound in his abdomen and the amount of blood covering the ground. He screamed his twin’s name, but his brother didn't respond. Luke’s eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow, and the rate of the blood pouring from his wound slowly depleted with his falling heart rate. Tears fell from Jay’s eyes as he watched Luke’s life start to fade away in his arms.

“Luke…Luke, please, hold on. Sam and Dean are trying to get Gabe free. Please, don't leave me. I can't lose you and Ari, I just can't,” Jay pleaded with his brother.

He looked up to see Gabriel dropping to his knees on the other side of his brother, Sam and Dean standing behind him. For a brief second Gabriel looked into Jay’s emerald eyes, and Jay knew the angel was trying to tell him that he didn't know if Luke was already too far gone. After Jay nodded in understanding, Gabriel’s eyes dropped to Luke and he placed his hand on his forehead. His palm began to glow with white light as he tried to heal Luke’s wound.

“Come on, Luke. Come back,” Gabriel pleaded.

 

* * *

 

_Luke opened his eyes and looked around himself, seeing that he was standing in a snow-white room with no doors or windows. Remembering what had happened, he quickly looked down and clutched his stomach with his hands, but discovered that his wound was gone. He dropped his hands to his sides and moved his gaze about the room, and this time he froze when his eyes landed on its two new occupants._

_Across from him stood his parents, hand in hand and beaming at him. He stared wide eyed, not daring to believe this was actually happening. He used to have this dream often, and every time he would wake up just before he got to hug them. He blinked and suddenly they were both directly in front of him. When his mother let go of his father’s hand she wrapped her arms around his shoulder, and his emotions erupted._

_He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close and as tight as he could. His head fell to her shoulder and he cried. As he sobbed, she ran a hand through his hair._

_“It’s OK, Luke. Everything is going to be OK,” Ally said soothingly._

_When his tears had calmed, Luke pulled away from Ally and looked to Chris. Chris immediately pulled his son in to a tight hug. When he pulled away he rested his hands on Luke’s shoulders, smiling broadly._

_“Am...Am I dead?” Luke stammered._

_“No, Son, you are in the veil between worlds. Gabriel is attempting to heal you now,” Chris explained._

_“How are you here? Why aren't you in Heaven? I thought Heaven was locked down?” Luke rushed through his questions, barely putting spaces between his words._

_“Slow down, Luke,” Ally said comfortingly._

_“We were in Heaven and yes, Heaven is locked down. Joshua added this into the spell just in case something happened to one of you after the spell had taken place. I guess it was his way of apologizing,” Chris explained._

_Luke nodded. “Ari blames herself for everything.”_

_Chris and Ally looked at each other, then back to Luke._

_“We know. It will take time, but eventually she will see that none of this is her fault. She did not choose to become the Guardian. That choice was made by someone else,” Ally said._

_“We know she has been taken as well,” Chris said._

_“I’ll get her back!” Luke exclaimed._

_“I don't doubt that, Son,” Chris said. “Just remember that you are not alone in this. Working together with your family, including Gabriel, Edmee, Jack, Castiel, and Remy, is the only way to get through this,”_

_“Are we strong enough?” Luke asked, his self-doubt rearing its head._

_Chris took his son's face in his hands. “Yes, you are.”_

_Luke felt a pull at his waist and he jumped, jerking out of his dad’s grasp._

_“What was that?!” he shouted, looking around the room._

_“Calm down, Luke. Gabriel has almost finished healing you, and it is pulling you back into the living world,” Ally explained._

_Pain washed over Luke at the thought of leaving his parents._

_“Do I have to go now?” he asked, tears filling his eyes._

_Chris and Ally both stepped forward and took one of Luke’s hands in their own._

_“You will see us again someday, Son. Right now though, you have work to do. Your sister needs you and so does the world,” Ally said._

_“And for the record, of course your mom and I are proud of you. We are so very proud of all three of you. You have all done so much good and saved so many lives,” Chris said proudly._

_“I fought being a hunter and it ended up tearing us all apart. Always remember you are as much a Campbell as you are a Lawson. You have strong, loyal, and noble hunter blood running through your veins. There isn't anything you can't overcome,” Ally spoke with pride._

_Luke simply nodded as tears rolled down his face. When he felt the tug at his back again, he grabbed both of his parents at the same time and hugged them tightly._

_“I love and miss you both so much,” he said._

_“We love you too,” Chris and Ally said together._

_Luke felt a stronger jerk at his waist and pulled away from his parents. Another jerk, and he was almost knocked backwards._

_“One more thing before you go, Luke,” Chris said with a smile._

_Luke looked to his parents and watched them look to each other, nod, and then look back at him, smiling._

_“Certain events are going to take place in the next few days, and Gabriel is going to have a very important conversation with you. When he asks you for your blessing, give it to him, and know that he has ours too,” Chris said._

_“Until he comes to you, don't say a word,” Ally instructed._

_Luke nodded in confusion before he was forcefully pulled backwards, and the white room vanished into darkness._

 

* * *

 

 

Luke jerked awake as he sucked in a sharp breath, choking on it. The force knocked him out of Jay’s hold and sent him to the ground. He clutched his stomach where his wound had been, his mind reeling from the events in the cemetery and what he had just experienced.

“Ari!” he shouted, pushing himself up off the ground. “Ari!” He looked around frantically, ready to fight anything he could.

Gabriel grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to stand still.

“We’ll get her back!” he shouted into Luke’s face.

Luke tried to calm himself, breathing hard and staring into Gabriel’s face. Fear and rage coursing through his veins.

Jay quickly got to his feet. “What do you mean ‘get her back’? Where the hell is she?” he demanded.

Gabriel and Luke turned to look at the other men, both looking sick. They stared at the others, neither knowing how to tell them what had transpired only moments before they had arrived.

“GUYS?!” Jay yelled.

“Raphael…” Luke whispered, his voice covered with pain.

“What about him?!” Jay shouted again, getting annoyed with the lack of information.

“He took her,” Gabriel said, his voice low with anguish.

The simple three word sentence hit Jay like a punch to the face. Terror spread across his features and his stomach churned as he fought down the bile rising in his throat.

“How is that possible? Raphael is dead?” Dean asked urgently.

“How is he back?” Sam asked.

“I don't know, but he is, and now he has Ari,” Gabriel said.

“Why?” was all Dean could manage.

“He’s taken her before. He tortured her for two months, he went on and on about her being a perfect vessel, and tried to get her to say yes to him. But the only angels that ever had perfect vessels were Michael and Lucifer. Edmee thinks that he was deranged. She and Remy helped us get her back. We came so close to losing her for good, and now he has her again,” Luke rambled, staring into the distance.

Jay was silent as he stared at the ground with wide, horror-filled eyes. The memories of the state Arianna had been in when they found her assaulted his mind.

“Knowing what we know now, I think it’s safe to say that he may have been tipped off to her having powers because of Joshua. He obviously misinterpreted the information,” Gabriel explained, his voice monotone.

Sam and Dean shared a worried look.

“Guys, I know what's going on in your heads, but we don't have the luxury of freaking out right now. Ari needs us,” Sam said, trying to mask his own fear of what was happening to his cousin.

Sam’s simple words broke the other three out of their thoughts. Their expressions changed to ones of anger and determination as they focused on Sam and Dean.

“We need to get to Edmee’s and let everyone there know what's going on,” Gabriel said, his own determination forming a course of action.

“Zap us there now Gabriel,” Luke demanded.

Sam and Dean nodded.

“Guys wait!” Jay said suddenly, remembering the way Steven’s house had been left. “We have to talk to Steven. We can't just disappear and let him come back to his house all wrecked with no explanation. He’ll have the cops on our ass thinking he needs to find us.”

“What the hell are we going to tell him?” Luke asked.

Gabriel, Sam, and Dean looked at each other disappointedly, knowing what needed to happen. Once again, they had to rip apart someone's view of the world.

“Luke, Jay…” Gabriel started, pulling their attention to him. “I think it’s time you tell Steven the truth. He deserves to know what really happened to his dad.”

 

* * *

 

 

The Winchesters, the Lawson twins, Gabriel, and Steven stood in the wreckage of his living room. Steven looked around at the damage in awe, his brain trying to make sense of everything he had just been told. The best friends that he had grown up with were hunters of the supernatural, and not only was Arianna something called the Guardian, she also had the powers of an Archangel along with it. The people who were supposedly their coworkers were fellow hunters _and_ their recently discovered cousins. His father had known all along as well, and he and his best friends had had to shield their children from all this and had been killed for it. And now, his friends faced an Archangel who wanted to destroy the world, and _another_ Archangel had taken Arianna.

“Arianna did all this?” he asked, trying to comprehend.

“She didn't mean to, I don't think. She hasn't exactly gotten used to the whole power thing. When she got upset at what we saw in the past, her emotions took over,” Jay explained.

“This is a little more than upset, Jay!” Steven said, gesturing around his living room. “Are there any more bombs you need to drop? Might as well get it all out in the open now!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Gabriel. Steven followed their gaze, the wheels in his brain starting to make connections. He called on his basic knowledge of the bible and the names of the few angels that he knew, and his mouth dropped open as a thought occurred to him.

“Gabriel…” he started, his voice trailing off. “Are you? You can't be.”

“I'm the Archangel, Gabriel.”

Steven stared at him, his mouth still hanging open.

“Oh my God! I'm so sorry for the crack I made when I first met you!” he apologized, slight fear in his voice.

“Like I said, don't worry about it,” Gabriel said, his expression stoic.

Questions swarmed Steven’s brain. He didn't know which one to ask first. Before he could settle on one, Gabriel interjected.

“Steven, I know you have a million questions and I promise I will answer every single one of them personally if I have to, but right now we have more pressing matters. We have to find Ari and we have to get you somewhere safe.”

“Gabriel is right. I'm sorry Steven, but Ari has to take priority right now. The bastard that has her, he’s taken her before, and we almost lost her for good,” Luke said.

“We are going to take you with us to our friend Edmee’s house in New Orleans. Aside from where we’re staying at the moment, it’s the safest place we got,” Jay explained.

Steven simply nodded, not knowing what else to do or say.

“Listen, Steven,” Sam said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “We know this is a lot to take in, and even more to ask of you, but we need you to trust us. We know what we’re doing.”

Steven nodded again.

“Gabe and Luke are going to go on to Edmee’s so they can fill everyone in on what's going on and get started on a plan of attack. Me, you, Sam, and Jay are going to drive our cars there. While we’re doing that, you have to make phone calls to cover your tracks. We can't afford someone sending a search party for you,” Dean explained, hoping to calm Steven’s mind by laying everything out for him.

“How are they going to go ahead of us if we have the cars?” Steven asked, knowing how absurd his question must have sounded.

Gabriel smirked and put his hand on Luke’s shoulder. With a wink from the Archangel and a rustling sound, Luke and Gabriel vanished before their eyes.

Steven stared at the spot Luke had been standing in just seconds before, the color gone from his face. He hadn’t realized that he had stopped breathing until Jay put a hand on his shoulder.

“Steven, man, I need you to breathe,” Jay said, trying to calm his friend.

Steven looked into Jay’s eyes and he saw the pain and fear in them as he pretended to be OK. Steven took a deep breath and exhaled, resolve edging into his mind. He knew for Jay and Luke’s sakes that he had to at least act like he was handling this.

“I’m OK, Jay. Let’s get Ari back,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

Jay glanced to Sam and Dean.

“Steven, we don't expect you to do anything. It’s _our_ job to protect _you_ ,” Dean said.

“I get that, but I'm not going to sit on the sidelines while someone I care about is in trouble. I know I don't have the know-how you guys do, but whatever I can do to help, just name it. This bastard more than likely killed my dad, and I want him to pay,” Steven said, almost believing his strength.

“Then let's get going,” Jay said.

After Steven grabbed some clothes and Jay gathered up his brother and sister’s things, the group was heading out the door. Steven and Jay walked side by side behind the Winchesters.

“Pharmaceutical sales?” Steven asked, laughing at the absurdity of the lie he had chosen to believe for years. “I mean, I knew that was a lie, but I never imagined…” his voice trailed off.

Jay let out his first genuine laugh since he had found out about Matt’s death. “Yeah, in hindsight that was definitely not my smoothest lie.”

“Ya think?”

Steven watched as the smile slipped from Jay’s face, and he saw just how terrified he was.

“She’s in a lot of danger, isn't she?” he asked, all humor gone from his voice.

“I can't lose her too,” Jay whispered, his mask of strength completely gone.

“We’ll get her back, Jay.”

 

* * *

 

 

By the time Sam, Dean, Jay, and Steven made it to Edmee’s, she had already sent Castiel and Jack to gather ingredients for every tracking spell she knew. Remy had multiplied the warding around the property tenfold, and was now gathering every weapon in the house onto a table he had set up in the living room. Luke was helping Edmee set up what she needed to perform the tracking spells upon Castiel and Jack’s return, and Gabriel had left to search about in hopes of sensing Arianna.

Upon their arrival, Sam and Dean went through the arsenals in the Impala, Camaro, and Charger, pulling out everything they had that could hurt an angel, and Jay had taken Steven aside to show him how to do an angel banishing sigil in case the warding around the house failed.

They had all been gathered in the living room, busying themselves with their tasks, when Gabriel had called Remy to let him inside the warding. They all froze and looked toward the Archangel as he walked into the house with Remy by his side. The angry and desperate look on the angel’s face told them he hadn't found anything while on his search. Gabriel stalked across the room and threw the Archangel blade in his hand towards the makeshift weapons table. Not checking his strength, the blade missed the table and stuck into the wall to its hilt, and nobody moved as the lights in the house flickered.

“Dammit!” Gabriel shouted as he pulled the blade from the wall and slammed it onto the table, making it creak under the force.

Edmee hurriedly made her way over to the Archangel and placed a comforting hand on his forearm.

“Gabriel,” Edmee spoke slow and soothingly, “I know what you are feeling. I am connected to her too, and I'm just as frustrated as you are that I can't get a read on her. But you need to try and calm yourself or you are going to bring the house down around us.”

Gabriel released a breath he didn't know he was holding and nodded at the old woman. She smiled at him reassuringly.

Remy’s phone rang in his pocket and he took it out to look at it, then at his grandmother.

“Cas and Jack are back. I’m going to go let them in. Are you OK, Mamé?” he asked, looking back and forth between Gabriel and Edmee.

“Yes, Remy. Bring them in through the door in the kitchen. Some of the ingredients have to be prepared before we can use them,” Edmee said, releasing Gabriel’s arm.

Remy turned and exited the room. Edmee took one last glance at Gabriel before she left towards her kitchen. The men in the room watched her until she was gone.

“Are you OK, Gabe?” Dean asked cautiously.

Gabriel turned a deadly glare in his direction, making Sam and Dean both take a step back.

“Don't even act like you care, Dean,” Gabriel growled.

Dean’s expression immediately turned angry.

“What the hell, Gabriel? I know you're pissed and worried, but don't you _dare_ act like you are the only one that cares about her! We _all_ love her and we _all_ want to help her!”

“You mean like you and Sam helped me?” Gabriel asked darkly.

“Are you kidding me?! Gabriel, we thought you were dead! How the hell were we supposed to know Asmodeus had you?” Dean roared, stepping close to Gabriel.

Sam put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, trying to reel him back. Jay and Luke were suddenly on either side of Gabriel, ready to intervene if things escalated.

“That’s not what I'm talking about.” Gabriel’s voice was saturated with pent up anger.

“Then what?!” Dean demanded, trying to pull away from Sam to get in the Archangel's face.

They could all feel the tension in the room about to explode.

“Guys, maybe you should walk away and calm down before someone says or does something they are going to regret,” Jay suggested, knowing that they wouldn't listen.

“I'm talking about the aftermath!” Gabriel yelled, ignoring Jay completely. “I'm talking about how you and Sam use everyone in your lives as a means to an end that you are never going to fucking get to. I’m talking about how instead of seeing that I might have just needed a friend, you just hunted me down, threw me in fucking angel handcuffs _after_ I had just spent _years_ _of being tortured and bound_ , then gave me no other choice but to die for you!”

“Oh boo-fucking-hoo, Gabriel! Sam and I have both been to hell remember? I spent 40 years there myself!”

“Dean! Stop!” Sam pleaded.

Dean jerked out of his brother’s grasp and stalked toward Gabriel, his hands balled into fists.

“Both of us have been tortured and you don't see us bellyaching over it! Grow a fucking pair and get over it!” Dean yelled into the Archangel’s face.

Without thinking, Gabriel balled his own fist and punched Dean hard in the face, and the hunter went flying across the room into a bookcase. Sam ran to his brother, and when Gabriel tried to launch himself toward Dean, Luke and Jay grabbed onto the Archangel’s arms, attempting to stop him. He slowed down, but he still moved in Dean’s direction.

“TRY EIGHT HUNDRED AND FORTY YEARS!” Gabriel roared.

Dean’s head spun but he managed to focus on the Archangel stalking toward him.

“I was carved on and ripped at! Burned with holy fire! My wings were tore at, twisted, and shredded! Did you know that Asmodeus was the goddamn demon of lust?! I was sodomized fucking daily! He ripped my chest open so he could break my ribs one by one with his hands, and then he would put me back together so he could do it again! Do you know why my mouth was sewn shut? It was because he would force holy oil into my mouth, knowing I couldn't swallow it, then he would pry the corner of my mouth open enough that he could shove a flame inside! And when it came to my grace! If he was feeling generous he would use that fucking needle, but most of the time he would bind me to a table with my head forced back, cut my throat open and dig it out with his hands! So, Dean, I'm sorry if eight hundred and forty years of that is just a little hard to get over quickly!” Gabriel’s voice was darkened from his fury.

Dean’s eye had started to turn purple and was swelling shut. He shrugged Sam off of him and pushed himself up with the aide of the bookcase. Anger still rattled his brain, and showing all over his face as Gabriel raged on.

“You and Sam talk a good game about saving the world, but the truth of the matter is more than half of the bullshit you have had to save the world from was your own damn fault! Look at how many people have _died_ helping you fix _your_ mistakes! You all talk about how family doesn't end in blood, but yet that's the only thing your family is covered in! The only thing you two care about is that the two of you stay alive! To hell with everyone else! If they die, oh well! I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let Ari be another name added to your list of dead family members!”

His head still spinning slightly, Dean stalked towards Gabriel.

“You’re one to talk, Gabriel! At least we own up to our mistakes and the ones our family has made! You faked your own death so you could run and hide! Not to mention all the bullshit you put Sam and I through, and then you have the audacity to call it _help!_ Then, when you get free from Asmodeus you were willing to let the world die again! We had to basically bribe you to help us! You may have given yourself a little bit of redemption when you stood up to Michael, but don't act like you are still helping us because you've changed. The only reason you are still here is because you are boning Ari!”

“Watch what you say about my sister, Dean!” Luke warned, anger ebbing into his voice. “What the fuck does it matter why he’s here? We all make mistakes, he’s owned up to them and is trying to write his wrongs! At least when Ari is with him I don't have to worry about her dying! Every time she’s went off with you, she’s almost been killed!”

“Guys!” Jay yelled.

“Don’t get in the middle of this, Luke! From what I've been told you were nothing but a hindrance when you first got here! Don't act all high and mighty now!” Dean yelled back at Luke.

Edmee, Castiel, Jack, and Remy quickly entered the room.

“Dean, please! This isn't helping anything!” Sam pleaded.

“At least he’s got the right frame of mind about this! Don’t think I haven't noticed you and Sam trying to track Michael instead of Ari since you got here! How long until you bail out of here to go fight him and cause even more problems?” Gabriel seethed.

“Come on, Gabriel! I really hope you are smarter than that! You know Michael had to be behind _your_ brother coming back in the first place! It might be a good idea to know where he is! We find him, we might just find Ari!” Dean shouted.

“Well no shit, Dean! But that's not the reason you’re doing it! Tell yourself all you want that it’s for Ari, but when it comes right down to it, if the choice is saving Ari or getting to Michael, you are going after Michael. You talk all this crap about how revenge doesn't fix anything, but revenge is the only thing on your mind!” The lights flickered wildly as Gabriel yelled at Dean.

“Like you don't want revenge on your brother for taking Ari?!” Dean felt his throat getting rough from screaming.

“STOP CALLING HIM MY BROTHER! A brother doesn't set you up to be sold to a fucking demon like a piece of property!”

“IT’S NOT MY FAULT YOUR FAMILY IS SHIT!”

“ENOUGH!!!!” Edmee yelled, silencing the fight immediately.

All eyes went to Edmee. For the first time her face showed pure anger.

“Edmee…” Luke started.

“No!” she said, holding up a hand to silence him. “I am speaking now!” She lowered her hand and made eye contact with every man and angel in the room, daring them to speak. “Do you really think this argument is going to help anything?” she asked, looking between Dean and Gabriel. “Arianna loves every single person in this room. Every one of you are her family, and in turn that makes everyone in this room family to each other. How do you think she would feel knowing that the two of you are ripping into each other like this?”

She paused, letting her words sink in to Dean and Gabriel. They lowered their heads, ashamed of themselves.

“Everyone here has made mistakes. And it's obvious that the two of you have issues you need to work through, but now is not the time. Whether you like it or not _you are family now._ If you can't agree on that, then agree on the one thing you have in common: Arianna. We all know what happened to her the last time Raphael had her, and we all know that it is happening to her again. Of course Michael is a priority as well, of course he is the reason this has happened, and we will deal with him if he pops up. But we will accomplish nothing if we are fighting amongst ourselves. Don’t you see this is what he wants? He knew taking Arianna would send tensions running high. He wants us to fight and draw lines between ourselves! Don't you _dare_ let that happen!” Edmee’s voice was stern and absolute.

Silence hung in the room at her words. Guilt gripped Dean and Gabriel as the disgrace of letting their emotions take over dawned on them.

“I'm sorry, Edmee,” Gabriel all but whispered before he turned and quickly made his way outside the house.

Castiel moved to heal Dean’s face and then followed his brother out the door.

Castiel followed the Archangel as he stalked through to the back yard, and when he made it to the line of oaks near the end of the property, Gabriel screamed and landed a punch to one of the larger trees. Cracks fractured throughout the hardwood, sounding like gunshots. Splinters and dust flew from the trunk as it groaned and then finally crumbled, sending saw dust, shards of wood, and leaves flying through the air. When the debris had all but cleared and settled on the grass, Gabriel dropped to the ground to sit with his knees bent so his arms could rest on top of them. Castiel tentatively walked to his brother and sat beside him.

“How much of that did you hear?” Gabriel asked, his voice calm as he stared at the tree he had obliterated.

“All of it.” Castiel stared in the same direction as his brother.

Gabriel nodded slowly, the regret of his outburst flowing through him. He had never meant for any of them to know what he had experienced.

“Does Arianna know?”

“She knows even more than what I let slip tonight.”

“There’s more?” Castiel asked, feeling the storm raging inside of Gabriel. “Gabriel...I…I'm sorry.”

“It’s OK, Castiel. I’m not as bad as I was when we went to Apocalypse World. I’m by no means completely healed. But, Ari has helped me work through a great deal when we’ve been able to get away from everyone else.”

“I'm glad you found her,” Castiel said, truly grateful for what Arianna had done for his brother.

“She’s my lighthouse. I can't stand being away from her like this, and knowing what she's going through right now… It’s eating me alive.”

“Are you able to sense anything from her?” Castiel asked cautiously.

“Absolutely nothing. I...I can't even tell if she’s still alive. Raphael has hidden himself and her very well. I don't even think any of the tracking spells are going to work. I've flown around the planet tonight and I can't find either of their energy signatures anywhere,” Gabriel explained, his anguish clear in his voice. “I don't know what to do. She needs me now more than ever and I can't find her anywhere.”

Castiel took in the Archangel’s words and a thought, that deep down he knew was absurd, occurred to him.

“There may be an option we haven't considered,” he said, knowing he had to approach the subject with caution.

“I've already spoken with Morph. He’s doing his thing now,” Gabriel said, not catching Castiel’s hint.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Gabriel turned his head and furrowed his brow in confusion at Castiel, wondering what option he hadn't considered. Castiel turned to him with a guarded look.

“We could, and I know it’s a long shot,” Castiel started. “But, we could always try asking-”

“If you say ‘ask Dad’, Castiel, I swear to _Dad_ himself I will smite you here and now! That son of a bitch didn't give a damn about doing anything while I was being tortured or any other time the world was ending, except when it was his own sister, and he's not going to give a damn now. Even if it is his fault Ari and her brothers are even in this situation.” Gabriel’s voice was back to livid. “He chose her to be the Guardian and he issued the order to have her parents killed. He’s checked out and he's not coming back.”

Gabriel got to his feet, anger coursing through him. He looked down at his brother, taking in his worried, almost defeated expression. Sighing, he tried to calm some of the ire in his face, knowing Castiel was worried about him. He watched as Castiel got to his feet and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We _will_ find her, Gabriel.”

Gabriel nodded and pulled away from his grasp.

“Just make sure Thing One and Thing Two don't do anything stupid. I'm going to talk to Morph,” he said, and was gone without waiting for a response.

Castiel looked to the sky and sighed.

“You abandoned him. Left him to die. The _least_ you can do is give us just one clue to where she is. Just one. Please, I'm begging you, don't let him lose her.”

The angel searched the starry night sky with his eyes. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. He knew his Father wasn't listening. Closing his eyes, he hung his head.

“Please,” he whispered.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel appeared inside of a small living room decorated with pastel blues and cream colors. On the plush white couch a woman sat with a large worn book in her hands. Her pale green eyes looked up when she heard the sound of his wings, and she smiled warmly and tucked her cornsilk hair behind her ear as their eyes met.

“Hello, Gabriel,” she said sweetly. “How are you holding up, sweetheart?”

“I've been better, Clara,” he answered honestly. “Has Morph found anything?”

Clara placed the book in her hand on top of the coffee table in front of her.

“Not yet, but he is taking his third try at it as we speak. This time he went full Dream God though. He’s in true form flying around the planes.”

Clara watched as Gabriel’s face fell. He had been hoping for good news. He had needed it.

“How are the tracking spells going?” she asked.

Gabriel’s face twisted in annoyance.

“Those aren't going to work. A tracking spell was how they found her the last time. Unfortunately, Raphael is smart enough to learn from his mistakes. He’s hidden them both well enough to where that won't work again. It’s a waste of time to even try.”

The archangel sighed with defeat as he walked around the coffee table to sit beside Clara on the couch.

“If _I_ can't get a lock on her location, a tracking spell sure as hell isn't going to get it done. My grace was running through her the night Michael left Dean.”

“Morph said she has hidden herself from you before.”

“Why would she hide herself?!” Gabriel snapped, immediately regretting his tone. “I'm sorry,” he said apologetically.

“To protect you and her family, Gabriel. They all almost died the last time. She would sacrifice herself in order to save the rest of you.”

“I know,” he said looking at the ground, “That’s what scares me.”

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna’s eyes opened slowly in the dimly lit room, and her vision adjusted slowly as she tried to take in her surroundings. She saw that she was in an abandoned steel mill and that all the equipment had been removed leaving it an empty shell. The room she was in appeared to have once been a storage room. Broken and rusted metal shelving units laid in one corner while old, dusty hard hats were scattered about in another, and towards the back of the room she saw dirty windows that ran along the ceiling.

She had been placed on her back upon a metal table with her hands and feet bound and chained with iron cuffs to each of the table’s four legs, and she noticed that the archangel binding carved into the iron had started to hum constantly throughout her body. An assortment of knives, a set of keys, a large ceramic carafe of holy oil, and a few hammers laid on a table beside her.

Raphael had started his torture the moment they had arrived. He had started with cutting the bottom of her tank top to reveal her abdomen to cut six-inch ventricle slices over her torso with an angel blade dipped in holy oil, which he had then set on fire. He watched as she screamed, laughing and enjoying every second of her pain. He taunted her the whole time, telling her to call for Gabriel so she could watch while he killed him.  

She had refused to let that happen. Even as he took a hammer to her legs and relentlessly bludgeoned her, she somehow managed not to scream for her Archangel to save her. She had come close when he dug the angel blade into her collar bone and drug the blade along the length of it. Even closer when he cut down the length of her arms and poured holy oil in the wounds and then set them a flame as well. But he wouldn't break her, she wouldn't allow it.

She heard his wings when he appeared somewhere near her, and tears stung her eyes. She knew he was about to start again. His footsteps echoed through the empty building as he walked up to her, a sickening smile upon his lips as he looked down at her.

“Hello again,” he said, the eerie pleasure in his voice making her almost gag. “Comfortable?” he asked sarcastically as he patted one of her broken legs.

She bit her lip hard, trying not to give him the pleasure of her scream. Anger crossed his face and he squeezed her leg like a vice grip, causing a desperate scream to rip out of her mouth.

“If only I had known what you were the first time I took you. I wouldn't have wasted my time trying to get permission to use you as my vessel, that's for sure.” Raphael ran a hand roughly down her shattered leg, smiling as she whimpered. “No, I would have used you like the weapon you are, and you would have been mine to control.” His hand reached her ankle and he squeezed hard, delighting in the sound of her bones breaking and screams of pain. “No matter though. We have our own weapon now, and she obeys. We don't need you.”

“Then why are you doing this?!” she said, trying to sound demanding, though it came out as a choked sob.

He laughed. “Because the new Michael needs you broken. One of your brothers is already dead. With them all up in arms over trying to find you, it won't be long until we can take them all one by one and kill them in front of you. I’ll make sure Gabriel’s death is the slowest of course.”

She couldn't speak. The memory of Raphael slicing through Luke played in her mind as tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes. She knew there had been no way that Gabriel could have gotten out of the chains in time to save him. It had just been the two of them. She hated herself for running that night. All she had done was add another name to the list of the people who had died because of her. Maybe she deserved what was happening to her, she thought.

Screaming pain shot from her thigh and pulled her from her thoughts. Raphael had chosen a large serrated knife from the table beside her and started to cut into her, making her cry out in agony as the blade ripped her skin apart. He took his time with his slices, making sure she felt every tear the blade made in to her flesh. He then moved to her stomach and made vertical cuts over the existing horizontal ones.

Raphael reveled in her painful wails, taking pleasure in knowing she believed his lies. Yes, Michael wanted her broken, but he didn't care about the rest of her worthless family and poor excuses for angels. With her missing, they would put everything they had into finding her, sufficiently distracting them from looking for him so he could put his plans into motion. It was a plus to Raphael that he got to torture and cause as much pain as possible to his toy that got away. He took even more enjoyment out of knowing how much pain he was causing his worthless brother by keeping her from him.

He had made sure this time that no spell would be able to track the two of them with special warding Michael had shown him. As he poured more holy oil into the cuts he had just made on her thighs and stomach, he delighted in the fact that he wouldn't be found this time. He sat the carafe of holy oil underneath the table, then laid his hand on one of her knees. His smile grew wider as he watched her jerk, and with a thought the holy oil erupted into flames. Arianna screeched and jerked her body, causing herself even more pain as she tried to get away from the fire.  

 

* * *

 

 

Remy waited for Gabriel, darting his eyes around the gravel driveway after he broke the warding that had been painted at its end, an angel blade and can of spray paint in his hands. When the Archangel appeared, the man quickly knelt down to fix the warding, then stood and took in Gabriel’s defeated expression.  

Three days had passed since Arianna was abducted. Castiel had taken Steven, Luke, and Jay to attend Matt’s funeral, and had discovered that Matt’s autopsy had been the same as the hiker’s found near Joel Harris’ car in Knoxville. When they had returned they continued to help Edmee perform tracking spells, but had come up with nothing. In a desperate last resort, the hunters had contacted other hunters and asked them to keep their eyes open for any signs that would help. Sam and Dean had even called Jodi and Donna to have them put APBs out for anyone matching Arianna’s description.

Gabriel had flown around the planet every day looking for any signs of her, and every time he had returned empty handed with less hope of finding her. Morpheus hadn't given up on his search either, and he and Clara had lost count on how many trips he had taken through the planes looking for any energy resembling their Guardian.

As Remy and Gabriel looked at each other standing at the end of the driveway, they could both tell how worn and ragged the other felt.

“How are the futile attempts at tracking going?” Gabriel asked sarcastically.

“You know the answer to that,” Remy said sadly. “Mamé isn’t taking being able to not sense Ari well at all. With her psychic abilities blocked, all she has is magic. I've never seen her rattled before.”

Gabriel sighed and Remy looked around the yard and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jeans pocket.

“Do you mind if I have one of these before we go in?” he asked, holding the pack up.

After Gabriel nodded, Remy took a lighter out of his pocket and a cigarette out of the pack and lit it. He took a long drag and exhaled the smoke slowly.

“My Cher is going to kill me when she finds out I'm smoking again,” Remy said, looking at the cigarette he held between his two fingers.

“I think she will understand,” Gabriel said with a small smile.

Remy took another long drawl from his cigarette. “She’s strong, Gabe. She will make it through this,” he said after exhaling the smoke. He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince himself or the angel at this point.

Gabriel watched the length of cigarette dwindle as Remy smoked. When it was down to the filter, Remy dropped the butt on the ground and stepped on it to put it out.

“What are we missing, Remy?” Gabriel asked, not really expecting an answer.

“I don't know. We will figure it out though,” Remy said trying to sound hopeful. “We found her the last time. We can do it again.”

All Gabriel could do was nod. By no means would he ever give up until he found her, but his faith in finding her alive was beginning to falter. When he started walking back toward the house, Remy followed him in silence. Gabriel knew the Cajun was thinking the same thing he was. Everyone was thinking it at this point. But, they all refused to say it out loud.

Without warning, a feeling flared inside the Archangel. It was a familiar presence of someone or something. He stopped in his tracks and whirled around to look behind him. For the briefest of seconds he thought he had seen someone standing at the end of the driveway, but now there was nothing there. He looked over to Remy, who was staring at the end of the driveway as well.

“Did you see that, too?” Gabriel asked, taking in Remy’s confused expression.

Remy nodded. “Was it angels?”

Gabriel turned to stare at the end of the gravel driveway again. “No, it wasn't angels. Something else, but I don't think it was threatening.”

“Are you sure about that? It doesn't seem to be a part of our luck streak for something not to want to kill us.”  

“You got me there, but I don't know what it is. I'm just certain that whatever it was means us no harm.”

The Archangel felt more than heard the words that came next. They resounded in his head loudly, bouncing off of every part of his being, chasing away the mounting fear that his love was dead which had taken root in his mind.

_“She’s alive.”_

“Please, tell me you heard that too,” Remy said

“I did.”

“What the hell was that?!”

“I honestly don’t know.”

 

* * *

 

 

Jay sat at Arianna’s desk in her room, an open spell book in front of him, a frustrated look etched upon his features. They had been through fifty different tracking spells and each one had proved futile. After the first twenty-four hours, Gabriel told them the spells wouldn’t work, which naturally sparked another argument involving everyone but Edmee, who had diffused the fight quickly. However, since they didn’t have any other options, they continued with the spells.

At some point, he wasn't sure when, he had broken away from the group to the solace of his sister’s room. He had read through every spell book she had, but nothing seemed promising. A fresh wave of anger shot through him and he grabbed the spell book off the desk and flung it across the room, then rested his elbows on the desk with his face in his hands.

“Where are you, Ari?!” he desperately asked to the empty room.

He groaned as he willed his brain to work and come up with a solution or a means to find a solution. Suddenly a thought occurred to him and he raised his head from his hands and shook it. No, that was a stupid and pointless idea. Yet, he thought on it for a moment more. What did he have to lose? He was alone, and there was no one to see his last act of a desperate man routine. He stood from his chair and walked to the center of the room, facing the French doors. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as he looked up at the ceiling.

“God, or… I mean… Chuck? I don't know if you can hear me or if you will even listen, but, we really need some help.”

Jay lowered his head to look around the room, and he sighed as he began to pace back and forth. He tilted his head down to look at the ground as he spoke.

“I really don't think this is going to work, but I'm out of options, man. Nothing is working. We’re missing something that none of us can see. I'm not asking you to save her, we will do that, just point us in the right direction. Please!”

Jay stopped in his tracks again to look around once more. Nothing, just as he expected, and fury suddenly shot through him again. He looked up at the ceiling with fire in his eyes.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” he shouted. “ _You_ chose her to be the Guardian! _You_ issued the order that had our parents killed. _You_ made us into hunters! _You_ put us on this path! _Your_ son has lost his damn mind and _you_ need to do something! After fucking every goddamn thing _you_ have put us through, after everyone _you_ caused us to lose, and after leaving Gabriel to be tortured by that fucking prince of hell the least you can fucking do IS GIVE US A GODDAMN CLUE!!”

Angry tears welled in Jay’s eyes. He really hadn't been expecting to get an answer, but the silence that followed his outburst ripped at his heart. They really were all alone in this. God really _had_ checked out like Sam and Gabriel had told him a few months back. Suddenly weak, Jay crumpled to the ground. He sat for a moment before he gave up and laid down, but when his head connected to the floor it wasn't resting on the carpet. It took him a second to process that his head was lying on something.

He quickly sat back up and stared at the space where his head had been. On the floor was one of Arianna’s notebooks filled with her angel research. He cocked his head in confusion. He was positive that all of his sister's research was back at the bunker, yet the notebook was there in front of him, open and folded over so only one page was visible.

Slowly, he picked it up and read the heading at the top of the page: Residual Grace. His eyes moved down the page as he carefully read every word his little sister had written on the subject. As he read, the neurons in his brain started firing rapidly and his eyes grew large as the connections were made. He quickly scrambled up from the ground, nearly tripping over himself in his haste. Clutching his sister’s written words in his hand, he ran out of Arianna’s room and down the stairs, then through the hallway into the living room where everyone except for Remy and Gabriel were gathered.

All eyes turned to him in shock at the rushed way he barreled into the room. He knew he must’ve looked like a mad man, but he didn't care.

“Guys!” he shouted. “I know what we've been missing!”

 

* * *

 

 

Morpheus landed on the blacktop road of Akashic softly, his large white-feathered wings stretched out to their full length. He looked around as he folded them onto his back, and they glittered wildly before fading from view. It was quiet, unnervingly quiet. A shuffling in the forest caught his attention. and a large sword appeared in his hand. He readied himself to fight, but when the golden amber-eyed man came into view he relaxed.

Apocalypse world Gabriel smiled as he walked up to Morpheus. “Well, you aren't who I was expecting,” he said when he was standing in front of the god of dreams.

“I heard your call,” Morpheus said.

“Yes, but the call wasn't for you. Where is your Arianna? Has she not learned how to travel between the planes yet?”

Morpheus hung his head. “Ari has been taken by my world’s Raphael.”

Gabriel sighed loudly. “I was afraid of that.”

Morpheus snapped his head up to look at him.

“We caught a glimpse of him coming back, and after the way she reacted to my Raphael, I had a feeling it meant bad news for all of you. We found the door to your world as fast as we could and started calling to her. I'm guessing she didn't hear us,” Gabriel said.

“No, I just heard your call tonight, and only because I was flying overhead.”

“I keep forgetting she’s not as experienced as my Ari.”

“Do you know how he was brought back?”

Gabriel’s expression turned pained. “Yes. Michael has a new ally.”

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna could see the moon through one of the broken windows. She had lost track of how long she had been there, and the constant pain from the crushed and broken bones in her legs were dulling her other senses. At some point she had started to drift in and out of consciousness, which had given her some relief, but now it seemed like Raphael was there almost every time her eyes opened.

When he had covered every exposed inch of her skin with burns and cuts, he had taken to breaking the bones in her arms and fingers with his bare hands. The sickening smile on his face every time he heard the sound of her body breaking sent chills down her spine. Every time she would scream, it was taking everything she had left to not scream for Gabriel. She wouldn't risk his life, and that one thought alone had kept her centered, the singular need that kept her from drifting into helplessness. As long as she was focused on staying alive and keeping Raphael occupied, Gabriel and her family could still fight. For them she wouldn't break.

A scream ripped out of Arianna’s mouth as Raphael crashed a mace into her left hip bone. She felt it crush under the force, and blinding pain rushed through her whole body, making her vision blur for a moment. The salt from the tears that ran down from the corners of her eyes stung the dried blood from the slices Raphael had made on her face.

She felt his hands rest on her sides with his thumb placed on her bottom rib bone. Her eyes squeezed shut, trying to brace herself for what she knew was coming. The pressure was first, then the fiery pain from the breaking of her rib. Slowly, he made his way up, breaking her ribs one at a time with his thumbs.

Raphael leaned his mouth close to her ear and she heard his evil laugh.

“You will lose your resolve, Arianna. I broke you once, I’ll do it again,” he said with confidence.

_No,_ she thought, _not this time._

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel and Remy had rushed into the house with every intention of telling everyone what they had just experienced. Hearing Jay’s exclamation just as they threw open the door, they both quickly switched gears. Forgetting what they were going to say for a moment. Gabriel all but flew across the room to the youngest Lawson twin. Jay didn't budge at Gabriel’s sudden appearance in front of him, just simply shoved the notebook into the Archangel's hand.  

Everyone stared in anxious silence as Gabriel read the words that Arianna had written. Slowly his face fell in disappointment.

“Jay, residual grace can only be used to track someone who has been possessed by an angel. Ari has never been a vessel before,” Gabriel said with defeat in his voice.

“Gabriel is right, Jay. Without her having had an angel possess her, residual grace wouldn't be left behind,” Castiel said.

Jay furrowed his brow in frustration and grabbed the notebook back from Gabriel. “Just hear me out. Please,” Jay begged, looking in the Archangel’s eyes.

Everyone looked to Gabriel, waiting for his reaction. The Archangel sighed and threw his hand in the air, indicating for Jay to speak.

Jay began to walk around the room, weaving through its occupants and moving his hands around as he spoke.

“OK, I know typically the only way a human gets residual grace is after they have been used as a vessel. But after we got back to the bunker after the whole Akashic fiasco, Ari and I were talking late one night and she told me about when Gabe helped her boot Michael from Dean. She said that his grace was literally running through her and combining with her powers.” He quickly turned to Gabriel. “Am I right?”

“Yes, my grace and her power wove together briefly.”

“Well, Ari had a theory about that. Granted, we hadn't slept in a few days at that point, but it makes sense. She was convinced that you left a mark on her since she had your grace inside her and that you had a connection after the incident.”

“Yeah, we could feel each other’s emotions for like a week afterward, but that eventually wore off.”

“That may be so, but the two of you still have a pretty strong connection. I mean, hell, she was _made_ to fight alongside of you! Ari said the the two of you falling for each other was never part of the plan for the Guardian. She said that was something that happened of your own free wills or something like that. Then there is the whole physical aspect of your relationship, which as much as I don't want to think about, I'm sure it happens quite often.”

Gabriel nodded again, slowly starting to realize where Jay was going with his explanation.

“This is all really fascinating, bro, really, but what does this have to do with finding Ari?” Luke asked.

“Yeah, Gabe said the connection he made with her when he lent her his grace faded away. Wouldn't everything else?” Sam asked

“Because of our almost constant contact, there is a possibility that something could still be there. There’s only been a very few times that we’ve been apart since that night with Michael. The connection may have weakened, but Ari’s theory might be right. My grace may have left a mark on her similar to residual grace, and with me always near her that mark may have become permanent,” Gabriel said with a cautious sense of hope.

He looked over to Jay and was met with a triumphant look as the youngest Lawson brother realized that the Archangel was backing him up now.

“Exactly, and if that's true-” Jay started.

“Then we can find her by specifically tracking Gabriel’s grace,” Edmee finished.

Jay ran to the old woman and wrapped her in a quick hug, then pulled away to face the group again.

“Do we know the spell we would need to do that?” Jack asked.

“Not a doubt in my mind that Mamé knows one,” Remy said, hopeful.

“Come on now. That’s a pretty big if though, guys,” Dean said. “I mean this is the very definition of a long shot.”

Steven stood from the couch where he had been sitting. Over the past few days he had played errand boy to everyone, helping wherever he could and in doing so he had learned a lot about the things that had happened in the hunter’s lives. He cleared his throat and everyone fixed their eyes on him.

“I know I'm new to all of this, and to be completely honest I didn't understand ninety-five percent of this conversation. But what I do know is you all have solved some pretty big problems with long shots before, and nothing we are currently doing is helping at all. What have we got to lose by trying? If by some miracle we get lucky, we might just bring Ari home tonight,” Steven said, making sure to make eye contact with every being in the room.

“Steven has a point. All of our lives are basically taking one crazy leap of faith right after the other. We really don't have anything else to lose by at least trying this. If it doesn't work, then at least we know,” Jay said, desperately trying to convince the rest of his family.

Sam, Dean, and Castiel looked at each other, doubt still etched in their faces.

“Do you really think this could work, Gabe?” Sam questioned.

“I think if we have even the slightest chance of anything working, then we have to take it,” Gabriel answered.

Sam looked back to Dean and Castiel, and all three nodded at each other.

“Then we’re in,” Dean said.

Jay met his brother’s doubtful eyes. He could see the exhaustion in his twin’s face and the fear of getting his hopes up just to be disappointed again.

“Luke, this is going to work. I can't explain why, but I just know it will. We all have to agree, though. We have to do this together,” Jay pleaded.

Luke sighed. “Then let’s do this.”

“What do you need us to do, Edmee?” Dean asked

Edmee met Jay’s eyes before she answered, and smiled at him proudly.

“The spell requires oil of myrrh, human blood, holy water, and a map. I have everything we need here. Remy, get my apothecary table ready,” she said, moving her eyes over the group.

Over the bustle of everyone getting ready to hopefully start a rescue, Edmee’s eyes met Gabriel’s. She tilted her head in the direction of the hallway and walked out of the room, and he followed. She led him into the kitchen where she finally turned to him with apologetic eyes. Knowing what the Cajun woman was about to ask him, his stomach did a flip.

“Gabriel, I will need some of your grace for the spell.”

“I know. Do you mind if I extract it in private?” he asked, trying to avoid eye contact with her.

“Not at all. You should be able to find everything you need in the nightstand by my sweet girl’s bed.”

Gabriel looked to the old woman at the use of the nickname, a question surfacing that he had wondered about since he had seen the past events of Chris and Ally.

“May I ask you something, Edmee?”

“Of course.”

“Why do you call her ‘sweet girl’?”

Edmee smiled. “Because that's what her father used to call her, and it brought her a lot of comfort while she was recovering from Raphael the first time. It just kind of stuck after that.”

“They are so lucky to have found you,” Gabriel said, smiling at her.

Edmee placed her hand on the side of Gabriel’s face.

“We are _all_ lucky to have found each other,” she said.

 

* * *

 

 

Edmee gathered all the ingredients on top of her apothecary table with her black granite mortar placed atop an Enochian sigil that had been drawn upon its surface and began the spell. She poured the myrrh oil and holy water into the mortar and picked up the knife from the table to cut the palm of her hand so the blood could drip into the bowl. After picking up the vial of Gabriel’s grace and adding it to the blood, she held her hands over the blood and recited the Enochian incantation.

“Zod ah mah rah na ee es lah gee roh sah.”

Every eye in the room watched anxiously as she carried the bowl over to the coffee table where a large map of the United States covered the surface. She carefully poured the contents of the bowl in a figure eight pattern over the length of the map and set the mortar on the ground. Raising her hands once again, she repeated the incantation.

“Zod ah mah rah na ee es lah gee roh sah.”

The map burst into flames and quickly devoured the paper, and when they had dissipated, two small pieces of the map remained. The first centered around New Orleans, and a small dot of blood pinpointed Edmee’s house. The other’s location displayed three dots of blood in Granite City, Illinois.

The entire group gathered around the coffee table, staring down at the pieces of map with slightly confused faces.

“How accurate is this spell, Edmee?” Sam asked, his eyes fixed on the blood dots in Granite City.

“Should be incredibly accurate,” she said, staring in the same place.

“Then why are there a total of four indicators?” Luke asked. “I mean, I get the one in Louisiana, that's obviously our Gabriel. I even get that there might be two in Granite City, one for Ari and one for the grace inside of Michael. But, what the hell is up with the extra one?”

“I do not know, Luke,” Edmee said, looking to Castiel and Gabriel.

The two angels met her with an equally confused look.

“Does it really matter guys? We have a location! Let’s get our shit together and go get Ari!” Jay said, exasperated at how slow everything was progressing.

“Agreed. Sam, pull up Granite City and see if there are any promising places for us to check out. The rest of us need to get ready to head out,” Gabriel instructed.

From there, the whole team moved with renewed hope. They all knew the risks of going in blind with knowing nothing about the meaning of the fourth dot of blood, but they didn’t care. They only had one collective thought: Bring Arianna home.  

 

* * *

 

 

Dean was on the front porch filling up small glass bottles with holy oil when Gabriel walked out the front door with Jay’s green duffle bag in his hand. Without saying a word to Dean, the Archangel knelt down and began to put bottles he had finished filling into the bag. Dean shifted uncomfortably.

“Gabe, um,” he started, not taking his eyes from his task.

Gabriel paused and looked to Dean.

“Listen, man, I just wanted to… the way Sam and I treated you… the things I said…” Dean rambled, fumbling with the holy oil.

“Me too, Dean,” Gabriel said, trying to dismiss the moment.

Dean sighed and put down the oil, finally looking up into Gabriel’s face.

“If it wasn't for you, we all would have died in Apocalypse World. Thank you for doing what you did. The reasons why don't matter, you still gave up everything for us. And we should have been more understanding when you first came back, especially me. I do see the change in you, and I'm truly grateful that you are still here. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here now. Michael would still have me by the short and curlies. Edmee was right, we are all family now, and it’s time that _all_ of us start acting like it,” Dean said with a sincerity Gabriel had never heard from him.

Gabriel stared at Dean for a moment, stunned by the apology and the thank you he had just received.

“Thanks Dean-o, that means a lot. I’m sorry for the things I said, too. I was out of line.”

Dean nodded and then picked the holy oil back up.

 “Enough with the chick flick moments,” he said “You ready to go get your girl?”

 “I've been ready since she ran out of Steven’s house. I'm just worried about what condition we will find her in.”

 Dean looked to Gabriel again, a thought occurring to him.

“Gabriel, you know the only way we are getting Ari back is by killing Raphael and you know, besides Ari, who is probably in no condition to do so, you are the only one who can do that?”

 “I know, Dean.”

“Are you going to be able to kill your brother?”

“He stopped being my brother a long time ago, and after everything he’s done to me, to Castiel, to you and Sam, to Ari, I promise you, he won't be walking out of there.”

 

* * *

 

The Winchesters, the Lawson twins, Castiel, Gabriel, and Remy stood down the street from a decommissioned steel mill in Granite City, Illinois. Steven and Jack had stayed with Edmee back at her house. The men looked solemnly toward the old and seemingly empty building. All of them noting how deserted and quiet the street they occupied was. It was like a ghost town. The blackness of night hid them from view as they each took angel blades and holy oil from the duffle bag Jay carried. Gabriel reached in and pulled out the Archangel blade from inside his leather jacket.

“Are we sure this is it?” Remy asked.

“It was the only place I found that was deserted enough,” Sam said.

“And the warding around the place is insane, I've never seen anything like it,” Gabriel said.

“We will have to find where the warding is placed before Gabriel and I can get in,” Castiel said.

“We should split up and-” Dean started.

“No!” Luke said, cutting him off. “Unless we absolutely have no other choice, we _do not_ separate. Michael wants us divided.”

The others nodded in agreement. Gabriel took up the lead and began their walk to the old steel mill. They all were on alert as they got closer to their destination, all realizing once they were standing in front of the building that their trip had been too easy. With a series of loud booms they were suddenly surrounded by 10 angels in black and gray digital camo jumpsuits. All of them holding angel blades and staring at them with silent malice. Our hunters and angels quickly stood in a circle facing the opposing angels, their blades held up ready to fight.

“Other world angels?” Remy asked Gabriel who was standing beside him.

“Looks that way,” Gabriel answered.

“Anyone got any bright ideas?” Dean asked.

Jay took a glass bottle of holy oil and a Zippo lighter from his pocket. “I've got an idea,” he said with a daring smile.

He flipped the lighter open and ignited it. He put the bottle of holy oil in the same hand and chucked it at the angel in front of him. His quick movements caught the angel off guard and the glass bottle shattered on his head. Instantly the oil erupted with the flame, taking out his intended target and the two angels on either side of him. They were quickly reduced to ash

That's when the other world angels attacked. The sound of angel blades crashing together echoed through the night as the two groups fought each other. Breaking away and leading three of the other world angels away from Castiel and Gabriel to keep them out of the line of fire, Sam and Dean busted their own jars of holy oil on the angels. They threw their ignited lighters at them and then threw themselves out of the way as the three opposing angels were doused in flames. Sam and Dean watched as their ashes covered the ground.

Each of the four remaining other worlders were on Gabriel, Castiel, Luke, and Remy. They were an even match, each side gaining and losing the upper hand in turn. With a stroke of luck, Luke and Remy landed a punch to their respective angels that sent them knocking into each other and causing them to drop their angel blades. Luke and Remy quickly nodded at each other and then launched themselves at their opponents. They tackled them at the waist forcing them into the front doors of the steel mill. The doors swung open and they all crashed to the floor. Luke and Remy head butted the angels and then they each sunk their angel blades into their chests. White lights erupted from the angels’ eyes and mouths as they died.

Jay flung himself onto the back of the angel attacking Gabriel. The other worlder roared in anger and turned to throw Jay from his back and into his brother and Remy. When the angel turned back around Gabriel took the opportunity to stab the Archangel blade into his heart. Lights erupted from his eyes and mouth as he slumped to the ground lifeless.

Turning to his own brother, Gabriel saw Castiel’s angel starting to overpower him. He ran towards them and plunged his blade upwards into the other world angel’s side. The same lights emitted from him as he too fell to the dirt.

The hunters, Castiel, and Gabriel looked at each other a little surprised that they had taken them all out so quickly. Gabriel crossed the yard to where Luke, Jay, and Remy were still on the ground. He helped the three of them to their feet and peered inside the open doors. He could feel the energy of the warding emitting from inside, along with another distinct energy signature that he knew well. His breath caught in his throat as he fought the tears that filled in his eyes. He could feel Arianna. He was suddenly filled with hope, but only for a moment as he realized that her energy was fading, she was dying. The color drained from his face.

“Gabe?” Jay questioned.

“She’s in there,” he whispered.

“Why isn't that a good thing?” Luke asked, his stomach turning with the answer he knew he was about to receive.

“She’s dying.”

Castiel, Sam, and Dean were beside them now.

“The warding is inside, one of you will have to break it,” Castiel said taking in the same energy from inside his brother had.

Another loud series of booms echoed through the air. They all turned to see 10 more angels posed and ready to fight. Gabriel quickly turned back to the Lawson brothers and Remy.

“Jay, Luke, Remy, get in there and find the warding, it should be on a wall somewhere, if you can't find it, then find your sister and get her out here to me as fast as you possibly can,” he ordered and then turned to look at their new opponents. “The rest of us will take care of these ass clowns.”

“Gabriel-” Luke started.

“We don't have a choice, Luke!” Gabriel said over his shoulder. “Now GO!”

Hesitantly, Luke, Jay, and Remy turned and ran through the open doors of the steel mill. They were met with a large open and empty room. Towards the back of the room the walls opened up into two separate hallways.

“Split up?” Remy asked as the three of them ran closer to the two hallways.

“Might be our best bet,” Jay said.

“Dammit, guys! No! We’ve split up enough! We have to do this together!” Luke demanded angrily.

“Fine, then which way?” Jay asked.

“To the right,” Luke said without hesitation, trusting his instincts.

As they descended down the hallway they were met with doors every few feet down the length of either side of the hallway. The three of them quickly started throwing doors open and looking in each room for anything that resembled a warding sigil. When they had reached the very last door, Luke grabbed the doorknob and discovered that the door was locked. He quickly looked back to Remy and Jay.

None of the other doors had been locked. The three of them knew that one of two things would be found inside that room. Either they would find the warding or they would find Arianna. Luke stood back from the door and with one quick and fluid movement he kicked down the door and lead the way into the room.

None of them had been prepared for the sight that met their eyes. All of their stomachs threatened to empty the contents inside them as they realized what they were looking at. An unconscious Arianna was chained to a metal table, archangel binding etched into the links and cuffs of the iron. Her body and what was left of her black tank top and cut off jean shorts were covered in her blood from the deep gashes and burns throughout her body. A gut wrenching amount of blood was pooled beneath the table she laid upon. Her legs, arms, and hands were swollen from the multiple crushed and broken bones. They could just make out the black and blue skin underneath the blood.

Her hips were sunk in on themselves indicating her hip bones had been crushed as well. Her sides were swollen and bruised as well from her broken ribs. The gashes in her stomach still oozed fresh blood.

For a moment they were frozen to where they stood in shock. The men’s brains trying to comprehend what was before them. Luke was the first to break his trance and run to his sister’s side. He gently put his two fingers to the pulse point on her neck. It was barely there, but he felt her heartbeat. He moved his hand to cup her face.

“Ari!” he said desperately, his voice catching, he hadn't noticed until then that he was crying, “Ari, please open your eyes! You can't leave us!”

Jay and Remy frantically looked around the room for something, anything to break her restraints. Jay’s eyes fell on the set of keys on the table next to Arianna and he grabbed them. He shoved each of the four keys on the ring in to the lock on her ankle until he finally found the right one. He raced around her unlocking and throwing off the chains that bound her.

“We need to get her to Gabe, Luke. She isn't going to last much longer, she’s lost a lot of blood,” Jay said, fighting back his own tears.

Luke nodded and removed his hand from his sister’s face. As gently as he could he slipped one arm under her knees and the other under her shoulders. Carefully and slowly, he picked her up from the table and brought her close to his chest. He watched as her head rolled back almost lifelessly and his stomach lurched.

_Please don't let her die_ , Luke thought, begging any higher power that would listen.

Before they could turn to exit the room, the sound of the door slamming shut caused them to once again stop in their tracks. Slowly the three of them turned their heads to the door. Fury ripped through them when they saw Raphael standing in front of the door they had entered through. Luke took a step back with Arianna in his arms as Jay and Remy moved in front of him holding up their angel blades.

“Well, well, you found me again. Quite impressive. I assure you that this time, none of you will make it out alive,” Raphael said with an arrogant air to his voice.

“We’ll see about that you arrogant son of a bitch!” Jay seethed.

Jay and Remy launched themselves toward Raphael. He simply smiled and with a wave of his hand, sent them crashing into the wall. Not hesitating, they flung themselves back to their feet to attack again. Raphael moved further into the room as he lifted both of his hands towards them and shoved them back to the wall with his grace.

With the Archangel preoccupied, Luke took his chance to inch himself toward the door with his sister’s body clutched tightly to his chest. When he was mere inches from the door a force hit him hard in the back causing him to fall to his knees. He clung to Arianna, but when another invisible blow hit him in his side, she slipped from his grasp to the cold concrete floor. As soon as she was out of his arms he was flung across the room against the wall next to Jay.

Raphael laughed psychotically as he pressed on the three men with his grace. One by one they felt their ribs start to crack under the pressure. They fought as hard as they could against the Archangel’s grace, but to no avail. Luke’s eyes fell to his sister’s broken and battered form on the floor. If he could just wake her up, maybe she could finally heal herself.

“Ari!” Luke yelled, “ARIANNA!!!!”

“Scream for her all you want, boy!” Raphael mocked, “I can feel the last of her life force draining from her as we speak!”

“CHER!” Remy screamed, catching on to what Luke was trying to do. “ARIANNA!”

The three men were hit with another blast from the Archangel’s grace as he tried to shut them up.

“ARIANNA ALIYA LAWSON!!” Jay screamed.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel threw the last angel in the second wave of other world angels to the ground and pierced the Archangel blade through his heart. The light show emitted from his eyes and mouth leaving him lifeless on the ground. Pulling his blade out, he turned to face his brother and the Winchesters. They looked around, waiting on the booms that signaled another set of attackers, but it didn't come. The four of them cautiously made their way to stand at the entrance of the steel mill in time to hear Jay screaming Arianna’s name.

 

Gabriel tensed at the sound of her name. He could feel she was getting weaker.

 

“Is the warding still up?” Dean asked turning to Gabriel.

 

“Yes, and from the sounds of it, they found her before they found the warding,” Gabriel said, his voice full of dread “She’s getting weaker.”

 

“Sam and I will go in to help them,” Dean said.

 

But before Sam and Dean could make a move they, and the two angels, were forcibly pushed backwards onto the ground by an unseen force.

 

“Now, now, we can't have that,” a familiar female voice said.

 

They all knew the voice instantly. Scrambling to their feet they were met with a version of Arianna none of them had been expecting. This Arianna had deep ruby red hair and eyes to match. She wore a black corset top with laces running up the center, a short black, pleated leather skirt, and knee high patent leather high heeled boots. When she crossed her arms over her chest, Gabriel noticed the rings on her left ring finger. One was a silver band with a single, large, princess cut tanzanite gem on the top. The other was a slim, silver band with Enochian symbols etched around it. Symbols he had never seen before. He knew that the Arianna standing in front of him wasn't his.

 

“Ari?” Dean asked, confusion lining his voice. “What’s with the hair...and the outfit?”

 

“That’s not our Ari, Dean,” Gabriel said, raising his blade. “Pretty sure that's Apocalypse World Arianna.”

 

“So smart, Gabriel,” Apocalypse World Arianna said with a wicked grin. She turned her eyes to Sam and Dean. “You two must be the Winchesters that Michael has told me so much about.”

 

“Michael?!” Sam questioned. “You're working with Michael? Why?! Your Gabriel said you fought him together!”

 

Fury shot through her causing her eyes to glow an eerie crimson red. “My Gabriel was a disloyal fool who left me to die!” she spat.

 

“That’s not true, Arianna! He loves you! He’s stuck in Akashic and can't get to you!” Gabriel said meeting her eyes.

 

“LIES!” she screamed, throwing her hands out in front of her.

 

A red blast of energy shot from her hands and into the Winchesters and the two angels, knocking them all back to the ground.

 

“I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Michael may have brainwashed her,” Dean said as he struggled to get back to his feet.

 

“Ya think?!” Gabriel asked as he pulled himself up from the ground.

 

Sam and Castiel pushed themselves back to their feet as a single loud boom resounded around them. The four of them quickly looked back to Apocalypse World Arianna to find Michael, wearing Joel Harris as his vessel, standing next to her.

 

“Guess this answers the Joel Harris question,” Dean said

 

“Oh, you like the new meat suit?” Michael asked, looking down at himself. He grinned wickedly when he looked back to them. “I also see you've met my new partner,” he laid a hand on her shoulder as he looked down at her with a dark admiration.

 

The other world Arianna had her arms crossed over her chest again as she looked at the Winchesters and the angels with hate in her eyes.

 

“What did you do to her?!” Castiel demanded.

 

Michael smiled proudly as he pulled his eyes to them. “I made her the perfect weapon, like she was meant to be. My brother never truly saw her real potential. He preferred to keep her human side prominent. Even after her power increased exponentially, he still refused to let her tap into it fully. All I did was show her the error of his ways.”

 

“You mean you lied to her and brainwashed her!” Gabriel said, the loathing for the Archangel in front of him evident.

 

Michael looked back to his Guardian and shrugged. “Maybe a little, but, she’s too loyal to me now to care,” he turned his eyes to Gabriel, looking directly in his eyes. “She’s also has ten times the strength of your Guardian.”

 

“Doesn't matter, we’re still going to kill you,” Gabriel said, tightening his grip on his Archangel blade.

 

An evil smile spread on Michael’s lips. “Do you want a rematch, Gabriel? What makes you think you will fair any better this time?”

 

“Because this time, I have something to fight for.”

 

Gabriel snapped his fingers and he was suddenly standing right in front of Michael, catching him off guard. Taking advantage of the situation, Gabriel landed a punch to his face sending him to the ground. Apocalypse World Arianna immediately moved to attack Gabriel.

 

“No! He's mine!” Michael said from the ground. “Take care of the others!”

 

Michael pushed himself back to his feet staring at Gabriel viciously. His Arianna crossed the yard and rounded on Sam, Dean, and Castiel.

 

When he was to his feet, Michael dropped his own Archangel blade from his sleeve and to his hand. He and Gabriel glared at each other for a moment before they both attacked. They went around, one gaining the upper hand and then the other. Each landed a punch to the other as much as they blocked the attacks aimed at them.

 

The other world Arianna extended her arms and shot another blast of crimson energy at Sam, Dean, and their angel. Ready for this one, they managed to jump out of the way just in time. Dean was almost knocked back to the ground as he narrowly missed a kick to his head. Trying to help Dean, Sam and Castiel both charged towards her. Easily, she sent Castiel crashing into the side of the building with a flick of her wrist. She chose to spin around and kick Sam square in the chest. He stumbled to the ground as the kick knocked the breath out of him. Sensing his movements, Michael’s Guardian spun around and grabbed Dean by the throat in the middle of his attempted attack. She grinned as she threw him into the building next to Castiel.

 

Gabriel jumped backwards, easily missing being sliced through his torso by Michael. The golden eyed Archangel smirked as Michael roared in anger. Anger coursed through the other world Archangel as he realized Gabriel was an equal match in his fighting skills. He was no longer the weakened angel with a death wish. With his grace and will to live restored, Michael realized that the other Archangel could actually beat him. He refused to let that happen.

 

Michael's eyes shined with his grace as he called on the other two graces within him. Gabriel felt the power inside the other Archangel grow.

 

“Crap!” Gabriel exclaimed as Michael lunged at him.

 

Gabriel crashed to the ground hard, dazing him slightly and sending his blade flying out of his hand. Michael was straddling his abdomen, holding his own Archangel blade high above his head. Gabriel came to his senses in time to see the other Archangel about to plunge his blade into his chest. At the last second, Gabriel grabbed Michael's hand, attempting to push the blade away from his heart.

 

* * *

 

 

_“ARIANNA ALIYA LAWSON!!!” Jay’s distant voice rang through a black void._

 

_Arianna’s eyes popped open. Lying on her back in the blackness of the void, she quickly looked around. Expecting pain to rip through her body, she looked down at herself to see all of the wounds from Raphael’s torture gone. She carefully pushed herself into a sitting position and turned her head to look around again. When she looked in front of her she was startled to see Morpheus kneeling in front of her smiling. His magnificent white feathered wings were visible folded in close to his back._

 

_“Hey darlin,” he said, his smile growing, “I have been looking all over creation for you.”_

 

_“Where are we, Morph?”_

 

_“We are in between the physical and astral planes. Your body in the physical plane is near death, so your subconscious is in limbo between the two,” Morpheus explained._

 

_“I'm dying?” she asked, disbelief washing over her._

 

_“Yes, Ari, but that's what I'm here to prevent. You heard Jay, correct? That’s what caused you to wake up?”_

 

_Arianna nodded._

 

_“Your brothers and Remy are being attacked by Raphael as we speak. They need you.”_

 

“ _Brothers? Both of them? Luke’s alive?!” she cried._

 

_“Yes, Ari, Gabriel got to him in time”_

 

_“How can I help them if I'm dying?” she asked, tears welling in her eyes._

 

_“You have to heal yourself, you have to fight Raphael.”_

 

_“I can't do that Morph! I've only been able to cauterize a wound since I brought Gabriel back!”_

 

_“And a mere two weeks ago you weren't able to control your defensive powers either, but now you can. You can do this, Ari!”_

 

_“How?!” she shouted._

 

_“Don’t you see, darlin? Every time you have used your power in the physical realm you have been able to do so by calling on the same need and emotion.”_

 

_Arianna stared at him blankly for a moment, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Then it hit her, the love she had for her fellow hunters and her two angels, her family had been what pushed her to find her power. The need to protect them had pushed her to use it. A sense of determined calm spread over her whole body and she got to her feet. Morph stood as well, peering at her proudly._

 

_“I know what to do now, Morph,” she said determined and ready to fight. “How do I get back to the physical plane?”_

 

_“I will take you there. From there it is up to you, it appears Gabriel is in need of some assistance as well.”_

 

_Fear gripped her suddenly. “What’s wrong with Gabriel?”_

 

_“He, Castiel, Sam, and Dean are fighting Michael and his new ally.”_

 

_“New ally?” she question, her expression showing her confusion._

 

_“Yes, think, Ari. You dreamt of her, I can see the dream clearly in you. You have to remember, open your mind to it.”_

 

_Arianna closed her eyes and opened her mind. In an instant the dream that she had had in the car on the way to her hometown came flooding back to her in sharp detail. She gasped as her eyes shot open. Looking at Morpheus, she swallowed hard._

 

_“It’s the Apocalypse World version of me, isn't it?”_

 

_“It is. She is the one who brought Raphael back.”_

 

_“But how? That world’s Gabriel said the Guardian is tied to the angels of her own world. He didn't think a Guardian from another world could bring back an angel not of her world. And, how is she even here to begin with?! Gabriel said she was trapped in hell!” Arianna spoke quickly._

 

_“With the wrong angels in our world, the cosmic laws are being shredded. Michael has found a break in one of these laws and pulled his Guardian to our world.”_

 

_Arianna opened her mouth to speak again, but Morpheus raised a hand to silence her._

 

_“I'm sorry, darlin. We don't have time for anymore questions at the moment. You need to save your brothers and Remy, and I need to help Gabriel and the others. We will talk when we are all safe again.”_

 

_Without waiting for a response, he extended his wings to their full length. He took Arianna by the hand and with a flap of his wings they both faded out of sight._

 

* * *

 

 

The sounds of Raphael laughing loudly and her brothers and Remy screaming her name filled Arianna’s ears. She felt blinding pain rip through her body as she opened her eyes. She realized she was no longer in the Archangel binding chains on the table, now she was on the floor on her side. She craned her neck, fighting against the sensation of fire screaming through her, to see her brothers and Remy pinned against the wall being crushed by Raphael’s grace. Her eyes met Luke’s instantly and she saw the relief wash over him.

 

With her broken arms and legs useless, she roughly rocked her back until she was lying flat on the concrete. She bit her lip to stifle the scream threatening to leave her mouth. Squeezing her eyes shut, she concentrated on the now familiar coil of warmth and power in her chest. The will to protect her loved ones sent the warmth throughout her body. Suddenly she could feel the deep gashes all over her body closing, shortly followed by her bones reforming.

 

A sharp breath escaped her as the last of her wounds healed and all of her pain left her body. A look of anger and determination set on her face as she got to her feet. She looked around the room and her eyes fell on Raphael’s torture devices he had used on her. A smile spread across her face as an idea formed in her head.

 

Luke, Jay, and Remy saw as Arianna get to her feet fully healed. They watched her move to the table covered with Raphael’s torture devices and large carafe or holy oil. Without having to think about what they needed to do, they began to make sure the Archangel never pulled his attention from them.

 

“Come on, is that all you got you overgrown ninja turtle? I've had paper cuts that hurt more than this!” Luke yelled through the pain of his ribs cracking.

 

Raphael roared and increased the force on them. His eyes shined with his grace as he got lost in hurting the men.

 

“Ya know, I think Gabriel is stronger than you,” Jay growled through gritted teeth.

 

“Yeah,” Remy struggled to get his words out, “all the lights flicker and bust when he gets mad. You can't even dim them.”

 

Raphael's roar of rage was cut short as Arianna came up behind him and smashed the carafe of holy oil over his head, drenching him in the oil. Stunned by the force she put behind the hit, he let go of the men he had pinned to the wall. They all fell to the ground wheezing and clutching their broken ribs. The Archangel slowly turned around to meet the fury in Arianna’s eyes.

 

Luke shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a silver Zippo lighter. “Ari, catch!” he shouted and tossed the lighter in her direction.

 

She caught the lighter and flicked it open with her thumb, never taking her eyes from Raphael's. “It’s your turn to burn,” she said with an eerie calm.

 

In one fluid movement she ignited the lighter, threw it on him, and threw herself out of the way. Raphael exploded into flames, screaming in agony as he dropped to his knees. Arianna watched intently from her place on the ground in front of her brothers, as her tormenter crumbled to the ground and the flames reduced him to a smoldering pile of ash.

 

The four of them set in stunned silence for a moment as they stared at the pile of ash that had once been the Archangel, Raphael. Arianna slowly turned to the three men behind her, tears were in all of their eyes. Arianna lunged at her brothers wrapping them both in a hug. They grunted in pain as she did, causing her to quickly pull away.

 

“I'm so sorry!” she exclaimed and quickly placed two fingers on each of her brothers’ foreheads.

 

She concentrated on healing and instantly their broken ribs were once again intact. Turning to Remy she repeated the same process. As soon as his wounds were healed as well, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. A few moments later she felt Jay and Luke wrap their arms around her and Remy both. As her brothers and the man she considered a brother held her, Arianna finally let her tears fall down her cheeks. But, only for a moment. This fight wasn't over and she had to get her head in the game. She broke their hug and they all got to their feet.

 

“We have to get to the others. They are fighting Michael and Apocalypse World Me,” she said quickly.

 

“I'm sorry, what?!” Remy asked, not sure if he heard her correctly.

 

“I’ll explain on the way out there, but we have to go now,” she said and hurriedly lead them out of the room, quickly explained what Morpheus had told her.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel felt it the instant Arianna’s energy started to rise. A renewed reason to fight flooded through him and his eyes lit up with his grace. Michael’s eyes grew large as he felt the other Archangel push harder against his hands that were trying to drive the Archangel blade into Gabriel’s chest. Power surged through Gabriel and he sent it straight into Michael’s chest, blasting him into a nearby tree. Gabriel jumped to his feet and scanned the ground for his blade. He smiled when the God of Dreams appeared beside him holding the blade.

 

“Nice to see you, Morph!” Gabriel said, genuinely happy to see his friend.

 

“It looked like y’all needed some help. Figured I’d drop in,’ Morpheus said, handing Gabriel his blade. “Ari is fine, I imagine she will be joining us soon.”

 

“Yeah, I feel her,” Gabriel said. “You help Sam, Dean, and Castiel. I've got Michael.”

 

Morpheus nodded as his wings materialized. He spread them wide and flew full speed at the other world Arianna, who had Sam, Dean, and Castiel all three pinned to the side of the building slowly crushing them with her crimson energy. Morpheus speared her with alarming force, sending her flying through the air and crashing to the ground some sixty feet away. The God of Dreams turned to the three men as they slid down the wall, smiling at them.

 

“Damn, you're a sight for sore eyes, Morph!” Dean said as he, Sam, and Castiel got to her feet.

 

“Do you know how to take out the other, Ari?” Sam asked.

 

An uncomfortable look crossed Morpheus’ face. “We can't kill her, Sam. We need to fix her.”

 

“How exactly we do that?” Castiel asked.

 

“I don't need to be fixed!” Apocalypse World Arianna shouted.

 

She had recovered from Morpheus’ attack and was barreling toward them. The Dream God jumped out of the way just in time to miss a high heeled boot to his face. Other World Arianna roared with frustration as her eyes blazed red again.

 

“Enough fucking around! Time for all of you to die!” She said recovering from the missed hit and turning on them.

 

She extended her hand and her whole body began to glow with a crimson light. A beam of the same color energy shot from her hand and went straight to Morpheus, hitting him in his stomach and coming out on the back side of his body. His eyes grew large as he clutched his now bleeding torso and crumpled to the ground.

 

“MORPH!!!” Sam, Dean, and Castiel yelled together as they ran to the Dream God.

 

Gabriel moved with Archangel speed toward Michael who had made it to his feet. The amber eyed angel wasted no time gripping the angel blade tightly and slicing at Michael. The other Archangel tried to dodge the attack but the tree behind him hindered his movements. The tip of the blade sliced him on the chest, white light emitted from the cut as the blade sliced his skin open.

 

Gabriel smiled as he watched Michael clutch at his chest in pure disbelief. He used Michael’s distraction and uppercutted him in the stomach. The other world Archangel groaned as he flew back into the tree behind him with enough force to break it in half.

 

“Timber,” Gabriel said with a mocking smirk as both Michael and the tree fell to the ground.

 

Morpheus was gasping for breath when Sam, Dean, and Castiel dropped to their knees at his side. His stomach had a hole all the way through it. Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth and his eyes were beginning to glaze over. With what strength he had left he reached up and grabbed the collar of Dean’s shirt.

 

“Tell my Clara and my son, I'm sorry and I love them,” he said.

 

“Morph,” Dean choked on the god’s name

 

“Sorry Morpheus, you will have to deliver that message yourself. Sam, Dean, keep her occupied,” Castiel said as he placed a hand on Morpheus’ forehead.

 

Castiel knew he didn't have the power to completely heal a God, but he could keep him alive until Gabriel could heal him.

 

Sam and Dean sprung from the ground and ran towards the Apocalypse World Guardian. She laughed as she shot her piercing energy their way. They dodged her attacks, slowly getting closer to her. When they were close enough they angled themselves to tackle her but she grabbed them both by their necks and threw them to the ground, stunning them both. A dark grin spread across her face as she aimed her hands to kill them with her energy.

 

Before she could launch her attack she was hit hard in the back of the head with an iron pipe. The other world Guardian froze and fell to the ground unconscious. When she hit the ground the power around her faded away and so did she. Sam and Dean looked up and smiled broadly as they were met with the smiling face of their Arianna.

 

“You boys have the worst luck, you know that?” She asked.

 

“Ari!” the Winchesters exclaimed together as they jumped to their feet and wrapped their arms around their cousin.

 

She hugged them back but quickly pulled away.

 

“I've got to help, Morph!” she said and turned running to her friend.

 

Arianna set on her knees above Morpheus head. She placed a hand on either side of his head and concentrated everything she had into healing his wound. As warmth spread through her body and the tips of her fingers lit up with violet light. Slowly the hole in Morpheus’ stomach began to close. The dream god inhaled sharply when the wound was completely closed.

 

With Michael dazed, Gabriel jumped on top of him, digging his knees into Michael’s shoulders so he couldn't move. The warrior in Gabriel took over as his eyes lit up with his grace one more. The whiskey eyed Archangel unleashed an onslaught of punches to the Apocalypse World Archangel, letting all the pain and anger he had kept bottled up since he escaped Asmodeus flow through him.

 

It wasn't until Gabriel saw Michael’s eyes roll back in his head did he stop. Blood covered both of them. Gabriel gripped the Archangel blade in his right hand so hard his knuckles turned white. With one deliberate motion, the Archangel raised the blade above his head and slammed it down, straight into Michael’s heart.

 

Gabriel retracted his blade and looked down at Michael’s unmoving body. He cocked his head in confusion. Where was the normal light show?

 

“What the hell?”

 

Just as the words left his mouth a sphere of bright grace exploded from the wound in Michael’s chest throwing Gabriel backwards through the air. He landed on his back a few feet away. He pushed himself up to see the grace from Michael hovering high in the air. On the ground beneath the grace Michael coughed and sputtered as he set up. He looked rattled and the beating he had received was still covering his face.

 

“Next time, Gabriel,” Michael spat and vanished.

 

Gabriel watched as the grace that hung in the air began to spin, faster and faster until it burst sending a shockwave out that leveled all the trees in the steel mill yard. Gabriel was knocked back even further. He crashed into the others that were still gathered around Morpheus. They all went tumbling to the ground except for Arianna who had thrown herself out of the way just in time.

 

With groans of pain and protest, the men, angels, and dream god untangled themselves from one another as they got to their feet. Finally, Gabriel turned and his eyes fell on Arianna. They both stilled for a moment as they looked into each other’s eyes.

 

Before they could have their reunion, Arianna felt a fog roll through her brain. The world around her began to spin and suddenly darkness overtook her. Gabriel lunged himself forward and caught her in his arms before she hit the ground.

 

* * *

 

 

Quickly after Arianna had passed out, Gabriel and Castiel flew the hunters and the Guardian back to Edmee’s. Morpheus flew on his own to the house. The old Cajun woman had burst into tears when she saw Arianna in Gabriel’s arms. After composing herself she had instructed Gabriel to take Arianna and lay her in her bed. With worry still hanging over their heads, everyone had followed Gabriel and Edmee to the bedroom.

 

After laying her gently down on top of her royal purple bedspread, Gabriel snapped his fingers to remove her torn and bloody clothes, and into a pair of light purple cotton shorts and matching t-shirt. Edmee set beside Arianna’s unconscious form and placed her hand on the girl’s forehead. The entire room held their breath waiting for the old woman to speak.

 

“She will be fine,” Edmee said removing her hand and looking to the face of the worried men, angels, and God of Dreams. “She used a lot of energy healing herself and Morpheus. She just needs some rest.” she stood from the bed and put her hands on her hips looking at the occupants of the room as they stared at Arianna. “Alright, I want the lot of you downstairs, we have much to discuss about tonight's events.”

 

Without a word the men nodded and filed out of the room one by one, all except for Gabriel. He stayed rooted to the spot he stood in at the foot of Arianna’s bed. When he and Edmee were alone he looked at her, determined to stand his ground.

 

“With all due respect, Edmee, I'm not leaving her.”

 

Edmee chuckled and smiled. “I never thought you would.”

 

Gabriel gave her a small smile. Edmee walked up to him and took his hands in hers.

 

“You did very well against Michael tonight. Only two more stabs with the Archangel blade and we will be rid of him for good,” she said, still smiling.

 

Gabriel chuckled. “I had a feeling you already knew about that. Thank you.”

 

“Of course I know, I keep an eye on all of the members of my family.”

 

“You consider me family?”

 

Edmee’s smile grew. “Of course, Gabriel.”

 

“Even after my outburst and almost bringing down your house?” he asked cautiously.

 

Edmee laughed. “Yes, even after the tree, too. I'm going to need you to fix that, by the way.”

 

Gabriel’s eyes widened with embarrassment. “Yeah, I’ll fix that. Sorry.”

 

Edmee laughed again. “Don't apologize, it's quite understandable. All of our emotions were running high at the time. I would much rather you take your aggression out on a tree than Dean’s face. Even if he did deserve it, just a little bit.”

 

Gabriel laughed as his embarrassment faded away. “Hopefully, Ari sees it that way, too, when I tell her.” seriousness crossed his face as another thought occurred to him. “If you saw my fight with Michael, did you also see Apocalypse World Arianna make her appearance?”

 

Edmee sighed. “I did.”

 

“What has Michael done to her? Is there anyway to save her?”

 

Edmee thought about her answer for a moment. “She was heavily warded, but I could sense something inside of her that he has twisted to his will. She is not acting of her own accord. I’m sorry to admit that I'm not sure how we save her. But, I have a feeling we may need Apocalypse World Gabriel to do so.”

 

“I was afraid of that.”

 

“Her power level is also a source of concern. Michael wasn't lying when he said she was ten times stronger than Arianna.”

 

“Sure she is. That's pretty much how our luck goes. Why is she so strong?”

 

“From what I could tell, she has a high dose of her Gabriel’s grace within her. I'm not sure how or why, but it could be how Michael has been able to turn her will to him. He could have possibly used a spell to darken the grace.”

 

“I've never heard of magic like that.”

 

“It’s some of the magic he used to steal his brothers’ grace. God only knows how long Michael has actually had her, he could have just made the other Gabriel think that he sold her to a demon.”

 

Gabriel scoffed. “Well, _Dad_ , certainly isn't very talkative these days.”

 

Edmee’s expression changed to one of contemplation. “I don't know about that, Gabriel. I think your father may be closer than you think.”

 

“What makes you say that?” he asked trying to control the anger in his voice.

 

“The notebook that Jay found with Arianna’s notes on residual grace, I know for a fact, that that particular notebook was at the bunker. Then it magically appears here tonight? That's not a coincidence, we don't get those.”

 

Gabriel looked unconvinced.

 

“You and Remy weren't the only ones that heard that voice say that Arianna was alive either. I heard it too.”

 

Gabriel shook his head and pulled his hands away from Edmee. She turned and watched him as he set down on the bed next to Arianna and gently ran his fingers through her hair. She smiled as she walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“I promise you, Gabriel, she’s going to be fine. She should wake up soon.”

 

Gabriel nodded, not taking his eyes from Arianna.

 

“I should get down there,” Edmee said taking her hand off of his shoulder. “I will fill the others in on what we discussed about the other Arianna.”

 

Edmee turned and walked towards the door. Before she turned the door knob she looked back to Gabriel.

 

“And Gabriel,” she said.

 

“Yeah?” he said turning his head to her.

 

“The question that is hanging in your mind, you should ask her. You have my blessing and I know her brothers and Remy will give theirs as well.” she said and exited the room, leaving the Archangel staring at the closed door with wide, astonished eyes.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A hour later, Gabriel stood in front of the french door in Arianna’s room. He was peering through the glass at the full moon high in the sky. His mind solely focused on the sleeping woman behind him on the bed. He hadn't seen anyone since Edmee had left the room earlier. He assumed she had kept everyone downstairs with orders to leave Arianna be until she came to them herself.

 

“Gabe?”

 

He spun around at the sound of Arianna’s voice saying his name. She was sitting up in her bed looking at him. All either of them could do was stare at each other for a moment, neither sure if the other was really in front of them. When tears filled her eyes he closed the distance between them with Archangel speed. Before she could even blink, Gabriel was crushing his lips to hers. Their mouths moved together as he gently pushed her back onto the bed and placed himself between her legs. His hands threaded into her hair as she put her hands on his hips to pull his body flush against her. He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers, locking his golden eyes with her sapphires.

 

“I need you,” he said, breathless.

 

“I need you, too,” she said and pressed her lips back to his.

 

She locked her legs around his waist as he started to rock his hips. She moaned into his mouth, feeling his hardness pressing into her through their clothing. Wetness was already pooling in her panties. Grabbing the hem of his shirt, she started to tug it up his back. He took the hint and retracted a hand from her hair. With a snap of his fingers, all of their clothing was on the floor.

 

The sudden skin to skin contact sending their passion soaring. Sliding a hand down to her hip, he embedded himself into her to the hilt, both moaning at the connection. He dropped his mouth to kiss and bite her neck as he began to thrust into her roughly. Digging her fingers into his back, she screamed his name at the sensations he was causing.

 

“Lock your arms around my neck,” he said into her neck, his voice low and husky.

 

Quickly, she did as she was told. Snaking an arm around her waist and holding her close to him, he stood on his knees, lifting her from the mattress. With his free arm extended straight down, he supported their wait with his palm pressed into the bed. Holding her in place against him, he slammed in and out of her. Both of them crying out every time he drove in. It didn't take her long to feel her orgasam start to build. The pressure as her walls started to tighten around him spurred him to impale himself into her harder.

 

“Gabriel!!” she screamed as her orgasam exploded within her.

 

Gabriel kept his movements steady until he felt her start to come down from her high. Wrapping his other arm around her waist as well, he stood straight up on his knees, keeping her pressed to him as he did. Moving to sit, he stretched out his legs across the bed with his knees slightly bent. He set her between his legs. She unlocked her legs from around his waist and let them rest on either side of his hips. Leaning back he removed one of his arms from her waist and extended it behind him to support himself. She took one of her arms from around his neck and mirrored his position. Her arm still around his neck extended as she leaned back and she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck.

 

Looking deep into her eyes he started to thrust into her again. She met each of his thrusts with her own, their eye contact enhancing the pleasure between them. He gripped his hand on her hip and lifted her enough to where he could take control and ram her down onto his cock. The hand behind his neck went to his bicep. She clung on to him, trying to hold on as he rammed her down on him. He could feel she was close to hurtling over the edge again. Her velvet walls squeezing him like a vice grip.

 

Keeping her held at her waist, he pulled her flush against him and moved to stand on his knees again. He laid her back down to the mattress and put her legs over his shoulders. He took her wrists in his hands and pinned them to the bed on either side of her head. She screamed his name when he began pounding his rock hard cock into her again. Moving his hands to intertwine with hers, he leaned down to capture her lips, bending her nearly in half as he did. She broke the kiss, crying out his name as he sped up, pistoning into her. With the new position an angle he hit her g spot with every rough snap of his hips. Her moans and screams of his name rung in his ears.

 

“Fuck, Gabriel! Harder! Fuck me harder!” Arianna screamed.

 

As he dropped his mouth and bit down hard on her neck, leaving his mark, he obliged her. He groaned when he felt her walls clench around him again. Incoherent screams and cries fell from her lips.

 

“Come for me, Arianna!” he growled into her neck.

 

She screamed his name as the wave of pleasure crashed into her. One, two, three more merciless thrusts into her and he was spilling inside of her, screaming her name. He didn't let up on his speed or force until they had both started to come down from the mind blowing high they had shared.

 

He crushed his lips back to hers as he started to slow his movements, his tongue sneaking past her lips. Their tongues twirled and danced together as he finally stilled inside of her. He released her hands and let her legs fall back to the bed. Continuing to kiss her, he pulled out of her, staying between her legs. He threaded his fingers into her hair as her hands found his waist. Breaking the kiss he rested his forehead to hers. Both of them silent as they tried to catch their breath while they looked into each other's eyes.

 

“I love you, Gabriel,” Arianna said.

 

Gabriel lifted his head to look down at her. His love for her shining in his amber eyes. He smiled lovingly at her.

 

“Will you marry me?” he asked.

 

She quickly moved, rolling him off of her, and sitting on her knees. She looked down at him with wide eyes.

 

“What did you just say?” she asked, her voice a little higher than she was anticipating.

 

He chuckled as he pushed himself into sitting position. He cupped the side of her face and looked deeply into her sapphire blue eyes.

 

“Will you marry me?” he asked again.

 

Tears welled in her eyes as she sprang forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his. The force knocking him onto his back with her on top of him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her.

 

“Is that a yes?” he asked against her mouth.

 

She pulled away to look down at him, a huge smile on her face.

 

“Yes, Gabriel, yes,” tears filled her eyes again.

 

“I'm sorry it wasn't more romantic, I just couldn't hold it back anymore. I don't care how we do it, I just want to be able to call you my wife, forever,” he said reaching up to run his fingers through her hair.

 

“It was perfect,” she said and connected their lips again.

 

She pulled away and moved to sit up, straddling his hips. She trailed her hands down his chest and to his stomach, the look in her eyes turning seductive. Lust blew his pupils as he watched her run one of her hands along the inside of her thigh. Moving tantalizingly slow, her fingers made their way to her clit. She smiled when she heard his breath hitch and she started running circles around her sensitive nub.

 

His hands moved to grip her hips tightly as he watched her pleasure herself. Her moans making him grow hard once again. She threw her head back and moaned when he reached up to palm both of her breasts. He could feel her juices on his skin and he was fully erect again. Keeping her fingers on herself, she reached behind her with her other hand and grasped his hard and throbbing member. She rubbed her thumb along the weeping tip and he bucked his hips against her. Slowly, she started to pump her hand up and down his shaft. He groaned her name as he squeezed his eyes shut.

 

“Ride me!” he choked out staring back into her eyes.

 

She released his cock and removed her hand from herself as she stood on her knees. His member fell to his stomach and bounced up towards her. She grasped it in her hand again, lining it up with her entrance. When she lowered herself down onto it she moaned out his name. Placing her hands on his chest, she started to rock her hips slowly, enjoying the feeling of him deep inside of her. His hands went back to her hips, digging his fingers in her skin.

 

One of her hands went to tweak her nipple, while the other was back to her clit, rubbing the swollen nub as she started to bounce up and down on him. He met each of her thrusts down on him with his own, picking up the tempo a little more each time. Sliding his hands down to grip her thighs, he watched her intently, his eyes glowing with desire.

 

Her head thrown back moaning out his name, her hands playing with her nipple and clit, bouncing on his cock. His member grew even harder and he couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed her by the hips and slammed her down onto him. She screamed and put her hands back on his chest to steady herself as he rammed her up and down on him to the hilt repeatedly. He hit every sensitive spot within her.

 

“Damn, you're so tight and wet. Feels so good.” he said his voice almost a growl.

 

“Gabriel...Gabriel I'm close!” she moaned.

 

He dug his fingers into her hips hard and sped up his actions, feeling her tighten around him again. With one more rough thrust down on him, she screamed his name as the earth shattering orgasam rocked her body. She grabbed his hands from her hips, linking their fingers together. Bouncing up and down on his shaft with the same vigor he had, she rode through her orgasam until she felt him twitch and his own orgasam ripped through him. He grunted her name as she rocked her hips, milking his orgasam until there was nothing left.

 

She collapsed on his chest with her arms folded underneath her and his now softening member still within her. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him as their breathing slowly returned to normal.

 

Once their breathing had calmed, he pulled out of her and rolled them onto their sides. Their arms and legs tangled around each other.

 

“I missed you so much,” he said, placing a kiss to her forehead.

 

“I missed you, too.”

 

He pulled her closer and she nuzzled her head into his chest. She smiled to herself at the feelings of calm and safety that washed over her. She was finally back home in her angel’s arms. They stayed wrapped in each others arms, a comfortable silence between them, for a few minutes until a thought occurred to Gabriel.

 

“I don't want to bring up anything you aren't ready to talk about. But, there is something I need to know,” he said, speaking cautiously.

 

She pulled back enough to look into his face.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What happened to Raphael? Do we still need to find and kill him?”

 

She laughed. “No, he's dead. I may have took a page from your book and deep fried his ass.”

 

“Holy fire?”

 

“Yeah, I smashed an oil carafe over his head and threw a lit lighter on him,” she said with a small triumphant smile.

 

Gabriel laughed. “That's my girl!”

 

“So, what did I miss?” she asked, feeling she needed to change the subject to avoid flashbacks.

 

“The normal ‘'oh shit we don't know what to do” song and dance, arguing because of everyone on edge, figuring out how to find you, apologies for being dicks. You know, the usual,” he said with a feigned tone of nonchalance.

 

She smiled and shook her head. “So vague.”

 

“We found you and brought you home, that's all that matters,” he said kissing her forehead again. “Well, that, and took away one of Michael’s lives.”

 

Arianna smiled brightly. “Yes! You did! One step closer to this being over!” her smile dropped as she thought of something else. “Except, now we have an evil me to contend with as well.”

 

“She’s not evil. Michael has done something to her to brainwash her. Edmee says she has quite a bit of the other Gabriel's grace in her and she thinks Michael has somehow darkened that grace to twist her to his will.”

 

“How does that work and why does she have so much of his grace? I thought Michael had his grace?”

 

“That we don't know.”

 

Arianna sighed. “We can't win for losing.”

 

Gabriel ran his fingers through her hair. “We’ll get there, my love.”

 

She smiled weakly at him. “So, who was arguing?” she asked, needing to change the subject again.

 

Gabriel winced. “Uh...Dean and I got into it. I punched him and then I went outside and obliterated a tree when I punched it.”

 

Arianna blinked at him, shock in her eyes.

 

“What were you arguing about?”

 

“Their version of helping.”

 

“Oh,” she said, knowing exactly what he meant. “Are you OK?”

 

He smiled and kissed her lips. “I'm OK. Got rid of some pent up rage and then later Dean and I talked civilly. He apologized, I apologized, we’re one big happy family again.”

 

“Why did you apologize?” she demanded, anger shooting through her. “He's the one that treated you like shit and got you killed! Sam, too! I love them both dearly, but the way they treated you was bull shit! I've already ripped Sam a new one over it, I'll do the same to Dean if I have to!”

 

“Calm down, Sugar. I said some things I shouldn't have, too. We talked and we are fine now.”

 

Arianna looked at him skeptically and opened her mouth to respond. She was surprised when he placed his finger to her lips.

 

“The last few days have been hell. Can we please talk about something happy?” he asked, smiling at her.

 

All her anger left her instantly. She smiled at him lovingly.

 

“Like what?” she asked.

 

“Well, we did just get engaged,” he said, his smile lighting up his eyes. “What ceremony do you want? When are we going to tell your brothers...and I guess..cousins? I'm sure Edmee already knows. What kind of ring do you want? When do you want to do it? I'm good with doing it as soon as possible.”

 

Arianna smiled as he happily rattled off his questions. They spent the rest of the night talking about their plans as they laid wrapped in each other’s arms.

 


	8. The Trouble With Doubles

**Chapter 8: The Trouble With Doubles**

  
  


“You ready for this?” Gabriel asked his new fiancé as they descended the stairs of Edmee’s house.

 

Arianna laughed. “Of course!”

 

It was the morning after the night at the steel mill and Arianna and Gabriel had decided to tell everyone about the decision they had made to be married. They walked hand in hand down the stairs and through the hallway to the living room where everyone had gathered, anxiously awaiting for Arianna to join them. When they walked in, Luke and Jay immediately bounded off the couch they were on and hugged their sister, almost knocking her over. She had let go of Gabriel’s hand to wrap her arms around her brothers.

 

Excitement and relief filled the room as they all hugged her and told her how glad they were she was finally home safe. They took the time to discuss the previous night’s events, and what the appearance of the other world Guardian could possibly mean for them. They took the time to celebrate briefly for the demise of Raphael and Michael losing one of his lives; which meant one of the Apocalypse World Archangels stuck in Akashic now had their grace back. Hopefully, that meant good news for them as well.

 

Edmee sat smiling on one of the couches watching all those she called family, grateful to see smiles on their faces once again. She hoped that, even with Apocalypse World Arianna to deal with, they were on the path to ridding their world of Michael. After awhile of letting them lead the conversation, she met Arianna’s eyes and smiled at the young woman with excitement in her eyes. Arianna returned her smile standing behind the couch opposite the Cajun woman. Gabriel and Arianna looked at each other, both knowing why Edmee was so excited.

 

“I told you she already knew,” Gabriel said with a smirk.

 

“Already knew what?” Dean asked.

 

The room fell silent as everyone turned their attention to the Archangel and the Guardian. They both smiled brightly as they looked at their family.

 

“Well, Ari and I have an announcement to make,” Gabriel said, not being able to stop the grin spreading across his face, lighting up his eyes.

 

“What kind of announcement?” Morpheus asked

 

“We’re engaged to be married,” Arianna said happily, her smile matching Gabriel’s.

 

A moment of stunned silence resounded through the room. No one was quite sure how to react. Except for Morpheus and Edmee.

 

“By the gods!! This is fantastic!” Morpheus exclaimed as he crossed the room to wrap both of them in a hug. “Congratulations you two! What kind of ceremony will we be doing? I imagine it may be a little hard for us to pull off a Heaven’s Bond, but a God’s Union could work!”

 

Edmee was close behind Morpheus and pulled them both in for a hug as soon as the dream god stepped aside.

 

“Congratulations to both of you!” she said sweetly.

 

Arianna and Gabriel looked to the other occupants of the room. Confusion was on all of their faces.

 

“We realize you guys have questions. So, go ahead and ask,” Arianna said.

 

“Can an angel get married?” Dean asked immediately.

 

“Not in the traditional sense that you are used to. But, there are other ceremonies that could be done. Like what Morph suggested, a God’s Union. It is basically a bonding ritual done between two gods. There are small variations to it depending on if you are dealing with Greek gods or Pagan gods,” Gabriel explained.

 

“What about the other one? A Heaven’s Bond?” Jay asked.

 

“That one is a little more difficult. But, basically it’s a bonding ritual between an angel and a human where the angel intertwines their grace with the human’s soul. There is a pretty big catch to that one though,” Arianna explained.

 

“What’s the catch?” Luke asked.

 

“I would need Dad’s permission to perform the ritual with Ari. And we would need to find the bonding rings, which, nothing in Heaven, Hell, or on Earth has ever seen,” Gabriel said.

 

“So, that one is probably out of the question,” Ari said.

 

“Why have I never heard of a Heaven’s Bond?” Castiel asked.

 

“After Luci threw his temper tantrum and we had to lock him away, dad thought it best that that bit of information be on a need to know basis. I'm pretty sure the only angels that knew about it after that were the Archangels,” Gabriel said.

 

“I mean, I'm happy as hell for you guys. But, would using another kind of ceremony other than a Heaven’s Bond work for you. Would it be real?” Remy asked.

 

“The only ones the ceremony needs to be real for is Ari and Gabriel,” Morpheus said quickly. “Before governments got involved and made it a legal contract, marriage was simply two beings pledging their eternal love and loyalty to one another.”

 

Steven stood up from the couch he had been sitting on and crossed to where Arianna and Gabriel stood.

 

“Well, I for one am really happy for the both of you,” he said giving them both a genuine smile.

 

Arianna hugged him tightly, “Thanks, Steven,” she pulled away and looked to her brothers and cousins once again and then to Castiel and Jack.

 

“I'm happy for you guys, too!” Jack exclaimed making his way over to them, he hugged Arianna and shook Gabriel’s hand.

 

Sam and Dean turned their eyes to Castiel. The angel shrugged and turned to his brother and his new fiancé.

 

“I’m happy for both of you, too. We need a little happiness with everything we have been dealing with,” Castiel said.

 

“Listen, guys, I'm not saying I'm not happy for you guys. But, is everyone forgetting something?” Sam asked looking at the faces in the room expectantly. When no one answered, he continued. “Gabe is an Archangel that doesn't age, Ari is a human that does. Yeah, she's the Guardian, but Edmee said herself, Ari is still human. I imagine the age thing could cause some issues here in a decade or two.”

 

Arianna looked to Gabriel nervously. Outside of the two of them, Castiel, and Edmee, no one knew that her biological clock had stopped. Jay and Luke caught the look on Arianna’s face instantly.

 

“Ari?” Jay questioned, caution in his voice.

 

“Is there something we need to know?” Luke asked, a little more demand in his tone.

 

“Well,” Arianna started, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand and looking down.

 

“Spill it, you two!” Dean demanded.

 

Arianna looked to her brothers and her cousins. “I stopped ageing when I came in to my powers.”

 

Aside from the ones that already knew, shock rippled around the room.

 

“And that wasn't something you thought you should've shared with the class?!” Luke asked angrily.

 

“With everything else that was going on, it didn't seem like something that needed to be discussed. We have enough on our plate as is. Why give you something else to worry about. It’s not like it effects anything we need to do,” Arianna said.

 

“You still should have told us!” Jay said.

 

“Can we discuss this later? I would really like to get back to the subject we started with. I need to know if the four of you support us or not,” Arianna said trying to hide the annoyance in her voice as she looked at the twins and the Winchester brothers.

 

Luke and Jay looked to each other and then to the Winchesters. Luke let out a sigh and then crossed the room to hug his sister.

 

“Of course we support you, sis,” he said.

 

Arianna pulled away and looked at her eldest brother smiling. “Thank you, Luke.”

 

Jay crossed the room and put an arm around Gabriel’s shoulders. “Who would have thought we would have ended up with an Archangel for a brother-in-law,” he said smirking at Gabriel.

 

Gabriel returned his smirk. The rest of the room turned to Sam and Dean, awaiting their reaction.

 

“Well, we already have suits. Let’s do this!” Dean said.

 

“When are you two wanting to do this? I hate to be, _that guy_ , but we kind of have a lot going on at the moment,” Sam said.

 

Gabriel and Arianna exchanged a glance before answering.

 

“Trust me, we are both aware of our current situation and we both understand that it takes precedence. While we would both love for it to happen now, we realize it may need to wait until we finish this,” Gabriel explained.

 

“Nonsense!” Edmee said crossing her arms over her chest.

 

“Edmee, we don't know when Michael is going to strike next, and I imagine now that Gabe has taken one of his lives he's going to be gunning for us now more than ever!” Arianna said.

 

“Yeah, and with Psycho Ari running around we don't know what to expect. We don't really know what she is capable of, especially if darkened Archangel grace is the reason why she is the way she is,” Dean agreed.

 

“Which is precisely why this shouldn't wait. The fact is, we don't know what our future holds and the scary truth is we don't know who will still be standing at the end of this. I don't want either of them to look back and regret waiting because one of us is no longer there, or worse, one of them loses the other,” Edmee said.

 

“I've got to agree with, Edmee,” Morpheus said. “If the two of you want to do this, then let’s do it.”

 

“What do the rest of you think?” Gabriel asked.

 

All of them took in Edmee’s and Morpheus’ words. One by one they all agreed that the two of them were right.

 

“What do you think, Sugar?” Gabriel asked grinning at Arianna.

 

Arianna returned his grin and then turned to Morpheus.

 

“Well, Morph, what do you say? Would you officiate a God’s Union for us?” she asked the dream god.

 

“Absolutely!!!” The God of Dreams exclaimed. “Just tell me when!”

 

Gabriel and Arianna shared a look, nodding in agreement to each other.

 

“As soon as possible,” Arianna said.

 

Morpheus smiled broadly and took Arianna by the hand. “Well, then you will need to come with me, darlin, because tomorrow night we are having a ceremony!” he said.

 

And with that, the dream god and the Guardian vanished.

 

* * *

 

 

Michael laid on the ground in the woods. Pain contorted his face as Apocalypse World Arianna healed the wound in his chest. He knew he was somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains from the look of the greenery around him. When he had flown from the steel mill in Illinois he hadn't been able to pinpoint a location. He had just locked on to his Guardian’s energy and thrown himself towards it.

 

He hadn't been expecting the fight to go the way it did. He couldn't understand how, with so much less power than he controlled, his foes had won the battle. Underestimating them had bitten him is the ass once more. Only this time, they had cost him a substantial amount of power. Anger coursed through him as he vowed to himself to not let them get the better of him again.

 

“There,” his Guardian said. “Your vessel is healed. There wasn't anything I could do about the lost grace, but you should still strengthen over the next few days. I don't recommend we attack again until then.”

 

Michael pushed himself to sit up. He stared into her crimson eyes, trying to gauge if her loyalty to him was still intact.

 

“How are your power levels?” he asked.

 

“Slightly weakened, I felt some of my power leave me when I landed here. I'm guessing it was when one of your grace reserves was taken.”

 

“Then it's as I thought. Gabriel’s grace is the one that escaped. That could cause problems,” Michael said, more to himself than to her.

 

“Why? He’s dead is he not? I'm not going to bring him back and from what I felt of the other Guardian, she doesn't know how,” Arianna rolled her eyes, “She’s all but useless compared to what you have made me capable of.”

 

Michael stared at her for a moment.

 

“Yes, dead, and your darkened grace does make you more powerful, but underestimating those pests is what has put us in this situation.”

 

“We could always steal the other Archangel’s grace and perform the same spell as before.” she suggested.

 

“No, unfortunately that was a one time use spell. We need to hit them where it hurts. I doubt Gabriel will be letting his pet out of his sight anytime soon, so getting to either of them will prove difficult.”

 

“I could bring this world’s Raphael back again,” she tried again.

 

“No, he had his chance.”

 

“What about the witch you told me about? The one the Guardian and her brothers are so close with. I felt the grace tracking spell she laid on us the moment she did it. I've already taken measures to hide our grace so that won't happen again.”

 

Michael smiled. “Good girl. The witch is a possibility, but the warding around her home is strong.”

 

“The warding around her home is meant to keep angels away. I still have some human left in me. If I temporarily block Gabriel’s grace, I can get through.”

 

“Killing her won't work, with her power she will be able to hold on to her physical body until she can be healed.”

 

“Then we do something that can't be healed. There is a curse that causes the victim to fall into a coma. An angel nor an Archangel can pull the victim back and the only ones that would be powerful enough to break the curse is myself, the witch, and God himself. I won't be breaking it, the witch will be close to death, and you and I both know the God has checked out here just like in our world.”

 

Michael looked at her with astonishment. “I like the way you think. I'm glad my brother never saw what you were truly capable of. His misconstrued love for you blinded him to what he could accomplish with you.”

 

Arianna’s eyes flashed from red to sapphire blue. Her eyes grew wide as a memory of her Archangel chained to a stone wall and screaming her name as Michael drug her away from him tried to invade her mind.

 

“Gabriel…” she whispered, her voice trailing off.

 

Realizing what was happening, Michael quickly grabbed her by the throat and threw her to the ground on her back. Fury shot through her as she tried to fight back.

 

“You son of a bitch! Where is he?!” she demanded.

 

Michael threw himself on top of her pinning her to the ground. He managed to pull a glass vial of dark red blood from his pocket and shoved it in her mouth. With one quick movement he punched her in the mouth, breaking the vial with the force. The moment the blood inside touched her tongue and mixed with the cuts caused by the broken glass she stilled. Her eyes flashed back to crimson before they fluttered closed.

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna sat with her legs crossed in the middle of Morpheus’ living room. She was surrounded by at least 30 dresses, all different styles and hues of white. With wide and uncertain eyes she looked around at her options. Clara set on the coffee table near her with a smile on her face as she observed Arianna’s expression.

 

“Maybe we should just elope. I'm sure I can find a bonding ritual we can do with just the two of us,” Arianna said as her eyes met Clara’s.

 

The other woman laughed. “It does appear that my husband has gone a bit overboard.”

 

“A bit?”

 

“He just loves love, especially when it involves two he cares so much about.”

 

Arianna sighed. “Do you really think it's a good idea for us to be focusing on this right now?”

 

Clara moved to sit beside the young woman. “Are you getting cold feet, my dear?” she asked taking Arianna’s hand in hers.

 

“I don't doubt Gabriel, if that's what you are asking.”

 

“Then what is it, dear?”

 

“It’s just...the other Gabriel and Arianna, their story has such a sad ending. They fought so hard just to be ripped apart, _Michael_ ripped them apart,” Arianna said, peering at ground.

 

“Yes, they have been ripped apart, but I don't believe their story is over yet. I feel there is hope for them. They are also not you and your Archangel. I'm sure there are similarities, but this love is your own.”

 

“Maybe,” Arianna said, unconvinced.

 

Clara stood, taking Arianna with her.

 

“I believe I have a dress that is more to your liking. Would you like to see it? It isn't necessarily a wedding dress but, If you like it, you are more than welcome to it,” the older woman said, changing the subject.

 

Arianna smiled brightly at her. “That would be great, Clara.”

 

Clara returned her smile and led her toward the exit of the living room.

 

“What kind of flowers did you decide on?” Clara asked

 

“White Cala Lilies.” Arianna said.

 

“That's perfect.”

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel stood in front of the tree he had punched to pieces a few nights before. He hadn't realized at the time just how much damage he had done. He grimaced as he looked around at the debris on the ground.

 

“Did you do that?” Dean asked from behind him.

 

Gabriel turned to see Sam and Dean a few feet away from him. He smirked at them.

 

“It was a better option than your face, I didn't have to hold back,” Gabriel said and snapped his fingers, putting the tree back together. “What do you boys need?”

 

Sam and Dean shared a cautious look.

 

“Do you have any idea which one of the Archangels in Akashic got their grace back?” Dean asked, deciding to just jump right in.

 

“I think it was the other me, but I can't be sure. Why?”

 

“Well, we were thinking...Morph told every one last night when we got back, that the cosmic laws were bending and that's how the other Guardian was able to pull Raphael back to our world. Do you think Ari could pull one or both of the other Archangels from Akashic to here?” Sam asked.

 

“It’s a possibility, but It’s not that easy to do. That Gabriel told her that he had tried getting out of Akasic and he hadn't been able to. I would say Michael is holding them there,” Gabriel said.

 

“That may be, but if Psycho Ari really has been brainwashed or whatever with this darkened grace, her Gabriel may be the only thing that can break whatever hold Michael has on her,” Dean said.

 

“She’s not been brainwashed _by_ the grace. The grace was already a part of her. Michael darkened the grace to turn her,” Gabriel corrected.

 

“Why and how does she have her Gabriel’s grace to begin with?” Sam asked.

 

“I can't say for sure, but you have to remember, they were fighting their war for a long time before they were separated. I imagine with time, her powers grew and the longer they fought side by side, it became a part of her,” Gabriel replied.

 

“Whatever the reason she has to be stopped,” Dean said. “Both of them do.”

 

“I agree, but, Ari is still learning her powers. She may not be able to even get to Akashic, let alone pull that Gabriel to our world. I know she would try though,” Gabriel reminded them.

 

“Do you think Morph could do it?” Sam asked.

 

“I don't think he’s ever tried anything like that before,” Gabriel said. “Our only option may be Ari learning how to travel to Akashic.”

 

“You seem a lot cooler with that option than we were expecting,” Dean said a little taken aback.

 

Gabriel laughed. “I'm sure these same thoughts have already started turning in her head. I fully expect her to tell us within the next day or so that she wants to try.”

 

“Do you think she can do it?” Sam asked.

 

“That girl has proven she can do anything she sets her mind to,” Gabriel said. “I’ll be going with her, of course.”

 

“I don't think the two of you will be doing much without each other after tomorrow,” Dean said with a smile pulling at his lips.

 

“Careful Dean-o, you almost sound excited,” Gabriel said sarcastically.

 

“Gabe, its not that we aren't happy for you, I mean, its like you two were made for each other. We are just worried about when the other shoe drops, because it always drops.” Sam said sympathetically.

 

“We just need to make sure we don't let our guard down during all of this,” Dean added.

 

“I agree,” Gabriel said with a sigh.

 

The phone in the pocket of Gabriel’s jeans began to ring causing him to  jump at the sound.

 

“I hate this thing!” he grumbled as he fished it out of his pocket.

 

He looked at the screen and saw “Ari”. Smiling to himself he tapped the answer icon and held the phone to his ear.

 

“Hey, Sugar,” he said happily.

 

He paused as he listened to her speak.

 

“OK, I'm on my way, Sugar,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll see you in a minute…...I love you, too.”

 

He hung up the phone and stuck it back into his pocket.

 

“It seems, Morph, has gone a little overboard with the wedding planning. I need to go reel him in a bit,” he told them while he chuckled.

 

“Yeah, have fun with that,” Dean said sarcastically.

 

With a wink at the brothers, Gabriel was gone, leaving behind the sound of his wings rustling.

 

“Do you really think all of this is going to go well?” Dean asked.

 

“We just have to get through tomorrow without something blowing up in our face,” Sam said.

 

“When does that ever work out for us?” Dean asked with sarcasm in his voice.

 

Sam sighed. “Come on, Edmee has a list of things she wants taken care of. We need to go help.”

 

Dean nodded and the Winchesters turned to walk back to the house. They didn't notice the set of crimson eyes watching them from behind the tree line just outside of the warding.

 

“A wedding, huh?” Apocalypse World Arianna said with a smirk. “We’ll see about that.”

 

“ _Ari!”_ a voice whispered into her ear.

 

She quickly turned to locate the owner of the voice, but no one was there. Anger saturated her eyes as she scanned the trees around her. There was something familiar about the voice she had heard. Something that stirred feelings she couldn't quite place inside of her.

 

“Whose there?!” she demanded.

 

The only response to her question was the wind rustling through the foliage.

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna was in Morpheus’ office located in the back room of his bar. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she paced back and forth in front of the desk with an annoyed expression on her face. When Gabriel appeared in her path, she smiled and threw herself towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He grinned as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

 

“What’s the big emergency, Sugar?” he asked.

 

Arianna pulled away just enough to look into his honey whiskey eyes. A seductive smile crossed her lips as her hands fell from his neck and began tracing down his chest to the buckle of his belt.

 

“We can talk about that in a minute,” she said as she dropped to her knees.

 

She undid the bet buckle and the button of his jeans. Slowly she pulled down the zipper and then pulled his pants down enough to let his semi hard cock spring free. She wrapped her hand around the base of it, smiling when he hardened completely at her touch. The first drop of precum started to seep from his tip. Her eyes locked with his and she licked the drip away. He shuddered and his hand found its way into her hair.

 

She closed her mouth around the head of his member, running slow circles around it with her tongue. He groaned her name, fighting the urge to thrust into her mouth. Placing her hands on his hips she took more of him in. His hips jerked when she started to bob her head back and forth. She sped up her movements, taking him even further into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around his tip every time she came to it. Both of his hands fisted in her hair, following the path her head was taking.

 

“Fuck, Arianna!” he moaned.

 

One of her hands fell down to his balls and began to massage them. He couldn't help the buck of his hips at the added sensation. Suddenly slowing, she glided her mouth down his cock to the base. He groaned at the feeling of her throat around him.

 

“Come here,” he said, his voice deep.

 

She tightened her mouth around him and slowly pulled herself off of his cock, the head coming out of her mouth with a lewd pop. She smiled as he led her to stand up, his hands still in her hair. He pressed a hungry kiss to her lips, his tongue pushing into her mouth as soon as their lips were connected.

 

Taking one hand from her hair, he ran his fingertips down her neck, over her breasts, descended past her stomach, and finally made it the the button of her jeans. He walked her to the edge of the desk as he undid her button and zipper. Breaking their kiss, he spun her around and bent her over desk. She supported herself with her elbows, her ass in the air. He hurriedly pulled her jeans and underwear down, letting them pool at her ankles.

 

He took a second to admire the view of her presented for him. Seeing how wet she already was, he smiled to himself. A sudden hard smack to her ass cheek pulled a yelp of pleasure from her. A loud moan fell from her lips as he dipped two fingers inside of her. He rested his other hand on her hip, roughly pumping in and out of her with the other.

 

“Gabriel!” she whimpered. “Fuck me, Gabriel!”

 

He quickly removed his fingers and started to trace the folds of her entrance lightly with one of them.

 

“You want my cock inside of you?” he asked, lust dripping from his voice.

 

“Yes!” she moaned.

 

His finger continued the slow, pleasurable torture at her entrance.

 

“You want me to fill you up? Slam into you hard and fast?”

 

“Yes!” she groaned. “Gabriel, please!”

 

He removed his finger and took his cock in his hand. At the same speed his finger had taken, he rubbed the head of his rock hard member at her entrance.

 

“Please, what?” he asked, smiling at the way she tried to press him into her.

 

“Please, Gabriel!” she said breathless. “Please, fuck me! Please, fuck me fast and rough.

 

His hands went to grip her hips hard enough to bruise and he slammed himself into her. She screamed his name. He wasted no time beginning to move inside of her. His thrusts hard, impaling himself inside of her. One of his hands glided up her back to her neck. He snuggly closed his hand around her throat, using the new leverage to fuck her harder.

 

“Fuck! Gabriel!” she screamed “Choke me!”

 

He tightened his grip around her neck and he felt her velvet walls tighten around his cock. Taking his other hand from her hip, he placed it around her throat with the other one. She felt a tingling sensation run down her stomach and suddenly it felt like a tongue was swirling around her clit. She screamed his name again, realizing he was touching her with his grace. He pistoned into her a few more times and he sent her screaming over the edge.

 

“Gabriel!” she moaned as he fucked her through her orgasam.

 

When his thrust became erratic she knew he was close. She clenched her walls around him. He moaned her name, his hands dropping back to her hips. One more rough thrust and he was spilling inside of her, working her hips all the way through his own orgasam.

 

He pulled out of her and she stood, turning to face him. He smiled and snapped his fingers, cleaning both of them up and putting their clothing back on. Placing his hands back on her hips, he pulled her to him to place a kiss on her lips.

 

“Ya know, if you wanted sex all you had to do was say so. You didn't have to come up with some random stuff about me needing to reel in Morph,” he said after pulling away from the kiss.

 

She laughed. “No, that was the reason I called. I just couldn't help myself after you pulled me so close to you when you hugged me.”

 

He smiled and kissed her again. “What do you need, Sugar? What is Morph doing that I need to reel in?”

 

“He wants us to spend tonight apart, he said it will make the wedding night more special.”

 

“That’s not gonna happen. I just got you back.”

 

“That's what Clara and I said.”

 

He dropped his hands from her hips and wove his fingers with hers.

 

“I’ll talk to him,” he said and led her out of the office and through the back room to the main bar where Morpheus and Clara were.

 

* * *

 

 

“Mamé, I really don't think it’s a good idea for us to leave you alone,” Remy said, his Cajun accent laced with worry.

 

Edmee ignored him as she walked around her living room, handing pieces of paper to Sam, Jay, and Jack. She turned to Sam and Dean.

 

“Sam, Dean, I need to two of you to go pick up the flowers from the florist. The address is on the list I gave you. Morpheus has already paid for them, so all you need to do is get them here.”

 

Knowing it was useless to argue, the Winchesters nodded and exited through the front door. Edmee turned to the Lawson twins.

 

“I need the two of you to go get a garden arch from a friend of mine. His name is Darrius and he’s expecting you. Make sure you get the white one, I don't have time to change the color.”

 

“You got it,” Luke said and he had his brother left as well.

 

The psychic witch smiled to herself as she turned to Castiel, Jack, and Steven.

 

“Steven, I need you, Jack, and Castiel to go to your house and get the box of Ally and Chris’ wedding stuff. Arianna wants to use her mother’s veil.”

 

They nodded as well. Castiel placed a hand on Steven and Jack’s shoulder. Steven gave Castiel a fleeting nervous glance before the three of them vanished with the sound of Castiel's wings fluttering.

 

Finally, the old woman turned to her grandson. He met her with an irritated expression.

 

“Mamé,” he started.

 

“Remy, don't,” she said cutting him off. “I am a grown awnry woman, and I can take care of myself. The warding is up, I am safe inside this house! Now, get your ass to the grocery store! I have _a lot_ of cooking to get done before tomorrow evening.”

 

Relenting, Remy sighed. “I will be back as soon as possible.”

 

She watched him as he walked out the front door. She waited until she heard 3 engines leave her driveway and then turned towards the hallway.

 

“I can feel you there, might as well come on out, Arianna.”

 

Apocalypse World Arianna emerged from the hallway, a look of confusion in her crimson eyes.

 

“You want to know why I sent them all away if I knew you were there?”

 

The other world Guardian nodded.

 

“It’s simple dear, my boys aren't strong enough to take you on, not yet at least. Their safety means more to me than my own. Besides, once you throw your curse on me, you will have to leave to recharge,” Edmee said with a knowing calm.

 

“Why sacrifice yourself for them?”

 

Edmee sighed. “Love, my dear. Deep down you know what that feeling is. I can see the things you have done for your brothers and your Archangel out of love. Michael has twisted the events in your mind to make you think they never loved you back.”

 

Anger flared in Arianna’s eyes. “My brothers may have loved me, but the Archangel never did. He threw me away and left me for dead.”

 

“Michael is lying to you. Your Gabriel is still alive and he still loves you very much. Michael has him trapped in Akashic. You need to break free from this hold he has on you! He’s using you, Arianna!”

 

Apocalypse World Arianna raised a palm to the old woman. “You're the one lying!” she screamed, sending a blast of crimson energy in her direction.

 

The energy hit Edmee in the chest, sending her crashing through the front door. She groaned in pain and the other world Guardian crossed the room to stand over her. Their eyes met as Arianna took a small leather bag from the waist of her skirt. She opened it and poured the black, sparkling dust from the bag onto Edmee’s face.

 

She watched as the glittering substance seeped into to the old woman’s eyes, mouth, and nose. Edmee gasped for air as the curse took hold. Her eyes fluttered closed and her body stilled, her chest barely rising and falling.

 

Other World Arianna smiled down at the woman, a bone chilling look of satisfaction in her eyes.

 

“Sleep well, Old Woman,” she said.

 

Raising her hand, she snapped her fingers and she was gone leaving behind the faint sound of rustling wings.

 

* * *

 

 

Apocalypse World Gabriel shot beam after beam of concentrated energy from his hands. His attacks were aimed at a large ornate green door nestled in the stone wall that ran the entire length of Akashic. He screamed his Guardian’s name in frustration as he blasted at the door one more time. None of his attacks had made a single dent. He slumped to the ground, sitting as he angrily stared at his target. Cautiously, his brother, Apocalypse World Rapael, approached him and set next to him.

 

“Maybe we should try contacting that world’s Arianna again. Now that you have your grace back, she might hear us,” Raphael suggested.

 

“I don't think the grace was the problem. Morpheus said the only reason he heard us when we were calling before was because he was flying overhead. Michael covered all his bases when he trapped us here,” Gabriel said, defeat in his voice.

 

“Can you feel her now?”

 

“Yes, Michael has used the demon, Aeshma’s, blood to darken my grace inside of her. It’s the same magic he used to take our grace and trap us here. Her mind has been twisted and she thinks I left her to die and that Michael killed the both of us.”

 

Raphael stared at his brother, watching him as he twisted the silver band on his left ring finger.

 

“We’ll get to her, brother. One way or another,” he said.

 

Gabriel sighed. “Seven years, it’s been seven years since I've felt anything from her. I thought she was dead. If I had known….I should have been there. She has every right to hate me.”

 

“There is nothing you could have done, Gabriel! We have tried every way imaginable to escape this place and nothing has worked. You know as well as I do neither of us are going to be able to open a door out of here. Our only hope is getting the other Guardian’s attention. If our Guardian was able to pull an angel not of her world out of the empty and back to his world, then maybe the other one can pull something similar off,” Raphael said, trying to instill hope in his brother.

 

“And how do you suggest we get her attention? Nothing has worked so far.”

 

Raphael thought for a moment. “Well, if she’s anything like our Arianna then she may already be thinking about getting to us.”

 

Gabriel stood. “I can't count on what might happen. I have to find a way to get to my Ari before she does something that permanently darkens her.”

 

Gabriel started his assault on the door once again. His eyes and ring glowing with the power of his grace.

 

* * *

 

 

“Fine!!” Morpheus exclaimed, accepting the loss of the argument. “You two don't have to spend the night apart!”

 

Gabriel smirked at his friend from his position across the bar from him.

 

“Even if you tried, I would have just flown myself to where ever she was,” he said.

 

Morpheus rolled his eyes as he set a glass of whiskey in front of Gabriel. The Archangel raised the glass to the dream god before he took a sip. He slipped an arm around Arianna’s waist, who was standing beside him.

 

Clara walked around the bar to where Morpheus stood and wrapped her arms around his waist from his side. He smiled as he put an arm around her and looked down into her eyes.

 

“I told you they wouldn't have it,” she said laughing. “Remember when we were engaged and couldn't get enough of each other? We didn't spend the night before our wedding apart.”

 

Morpheus smiled lovingly at his wife and kissed her. “My love, I still can't get enough of you.”

 

The smile on Gabriel’s face suddenly fell and his eyes widened. The other three caught the change in his demeanor instantly.

 

“Gabe, what's wrong?” Arianna asked quickly.

 

“Remy is praying to me. We have to get back to the house now!” Gabriel answered.

 

Without waiting for a response the Archangel and the Guardian disappeared leaving behind the sound of Gabriel’s wings as they left.

 

“I better go, too,” Morpheus said.

 

He placed another quick kiss on Clara’s lips and he, too, was gone.

 

* * *

 

 

It was as if time moved in silent slow motion for her as Arianna and Gabriel landed on Edmee’s front porch, Morpheus appearing next to them seconds later. Remy was crouched on the ground holding his unconscious grandmother in his arms. The broken front door hanging from one of it’s hinges. Arianna could see his mouth moving, but her shock drowned out the sound of him screaming. Gabriel and Morpheus instantly reacted and were on their knees at the old woman’s side in the blink of an eye.

 

As Gabriel started trying to heal whatever was wrong with the Cajun woman, Castiel appeared with Jack and Steven on the other side of the porch. She barely registered Sam and Dean running up the stairs with her brothers right behind them. Castiel was now dragging Remy away so he could help Gabriel heal Edmee. Why couldn't Gabriel heal her alone? Suddenly a pair of strong hands took her roughly by the shoulders.

 

“Ari! Snap out of it!”

 

Her attention snapped to Dean’s face standing in front of her shaking her. Instantly the sights and sounds of the situation assaulted her senses. Her knees went weak and she felt Dean’s grip on her shoulders tighten.

 

“Ari, you have to help Gabe and Cas!” Dean shouted.

 

Arianna looked at him, eyes wide, as she searched her brain for the meaning of the words he was saying to her. Finally, her logical mind found it’s way back to her. She nodded at Dean and moved to kneel next to Castiel. As she took Edmee’s hand in hers and concentrated on healing she noticed Morpheus holding his hands over the old woman. His eyes were turquoise orbs, the whites of his eyes and pupils completely gone. What was he doing?

 

Breaking her eyes away from Morpheus she looked down at the Cajun witch. She could feel Gabriel and Castiel’s healing grace running through Edmee’s body mixed with her own healing power. The three of them connected for a brief moment as their powers combined. Their efforts suddenly ceased when they all felt simultaneously that they weren't having any effect. Morpheus’ eyes returned to normal and he looked at Gabriel with tears in his eyes.

 

“Why did you stop?!” Remy demanded.

 

“We can't heal her,” Gabriel said quietly.

 

“Why not?!” Luke yelled.

 

“Because she's been cursed. Only the caster of the curse or someone as powerful as Edmee could possibly break it,” Castiel said as quietly as Gabriel.

 

“Who the hell cursed her?!” Jay demanded.

 

Morpheus tore his eyes from Gabriel to the twins and Remy.

 

“The other world’s Guardian,” he said.

 

Arianna suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. She got to her feet and stumbled to the railing of the porch. She gripped the handrail looking out towards the road, her eyes wide. Guilt crashed down on her. All of this, everything that had happened to them, it was all her fault. And now, Edmee was in the condition she was in. Tears streamed down her face as the urge to run and spare the rest of them the same fate assaulted her mind  She let go of the railing and turned looking at the steps, wondering how far she could get before they reacted. Strong hands grabbed her shoulders again and spun her around. This time she was looking into Luke’s stern face. His hands moved to hold her in place by her arms.

 

“Ari! No!” he yelled. “You have to stop!”

 

“This is my fault!” she wailed. “I can't let anyone else die because of me!”

 

“No one is dead because of you! You didn't choose this, Ari! Everyone made their own choices. Mom and dad have no regrets over their actions!”

 

“How do you know that?!”

 

“Because they told me! The night I almost died, while Gabriel was healing me, I saw them. I got to talk to them, Ari! I got to hug them!” Tears fell from Luke’s eyes as he spoke. “They told me how proud they were of _all_ of us. They told me that they made their own choices and that the outcome was not your fault. The decision for you to be the Guardian was made by someone else. Ari, you have to see that there is nothing you could have done. Mom and dad love you, Matt loved you, Dylan loved you, Edmee loves you! None of them would want you to do this to yourself! I need you to get that through your head so we can help Edmee!”

 

Arianna looked into her brother’s emerald eyes. She could see the truth looking back at her. Breaking away from her brother, she wiped her eyes. A new resolve took over as she looked around at her family. Their faces all overcome with grief. Someone had to take charge.

 

“OK, guys, we have to pull ourselves together. Edmee needs us. Castiel, take Edmee inside to her bed. Gabriel, fix the door. Jay, Luke, Remy, gather every spell book we have. Morpheus, take everyone else to the bunker to gather the spell books there. I’ll go and check the warding around the house. The bitch got in somehow and I'm going to find out where,” Arianna spoke with authority.

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna stood inspecting the last of Remy’s warding symbols at the back of the property. She had found nothing amiss in any of them. She sighed as she scanned the tree line. Morpheus had told them before he had left on his assigned task, that he had found Edmee on the astral plane. She had told him what happened with the other Guardian and he had relayed Edmee’s words.

 

She finally accepted that checking the warding had been useless. The other her could probably cross the warding just as easily as she could. But, why had the spell weakened her like Edmme had told Morpheus? Arianna leaned against one of the oaks near her. They obviously needed help with this one. Her mind drifted to the Gabriel in Akashic. Her Gabriel had told her that he was sure he was the one that had gotten his grace back. If only she could figure out how to bring him to her world. Somehow she knew, he would be the only one that could get through to his Guardian. Unfortunately, she didn't even know where to begin on learning how to travel to Akashic.

 

Arianna pushed herself from the tree and walked to the middle of the back yard. She looked up to the sky, the sun setting in the distance. She was feeling ridiculous over what she was about to do. She knew it was pointless.

 

“Are you there, God? I mean...Chuck?” she asked holding her arms out at her sides. “We could really use a clue here! Better yet, why don't you get your ass down here and step up! You chose me for this and had my parents killed! You are the reason I've lost so many people I love!”

 

She looked around, silence filled the evening air. Anger started to fill her.

 

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!!” she screamed. “Why don't you man up and take some damn responsibility for your actions! Explain to me why my parents had to die! Explain to your son why you let him be tortured for seven fucking years, no, eight hundred and forty years in hell!!!!”

 

Tears welled in her eyes as her anger grew.

 

“DAMMIT!!! I know mistakes were made that you had nothing to do with and we are trying to fix that!”

 

She fell to the ground, sitting on her knees. Angry tears spilling down her face.

 

“They are stronger than me! I'm not strong enough to win! Please, help us!”

 

She pounded the ground with her fists.

 

“SHOW YOURSELF, DAMMIT!!!” she screamed as she doubled over.

 

“I've already helped you once.”

 

The male voice made everything in her freeze. There was no way. Slowly she raised her head. A man with short curly brown hair and piercing blue eyes stood in front of her. He looked down at her with his arms crossed over his chest.

 

“God?” she questioned.

 

“I very much prefer, Chuck,” he said smiling at her.

 

He held his hand out to her, she took it and he helped her to her feet. He waited patiently while she silently worked through what was happening. Suddenly anger flashed in her eyes again.

 

“How could you?!” she demanded.

 

He sighed. “I didn't have a choice. At the time I didn't see Sam and Dean stopping the Apocalypse and I had to make sure you were ready to fight. I thought you were this world’s only hope.”

 

“Can you fix this? Can you break the curse on Edmee?”

 

“I can,” Chuck raised a hand and snapped his fingers. “She will wake in a few minutes.”

 

Arianna started, she wasn't expecting it to be that easy. Things were never that easy.

 

“What did you mean when you said you had already helped me once?”

 

“When Raphael had you, I told Gabriel you were still alive. Though, I don't think he realized it was me. Then Jay yelled at me, much like you just did. So, I put your notes on residual grace where he would find them.”

 

“Thank you,” she said, not knowing what else to say.

 

“The least I could do, I don't normally intervene like this.”

 

“Your son is proof of that!” she seethed, fury shooting through her again.

 

“That is none of your business!” Chuck snapped, his anger suddenly matching hers.

 

“The hell it isn't!! Do you know what he went through?! Do you know what that monster did to him?! All the while praying to his father to help him! Apologizing to you for things he had no reason to apologize for! How could you just ignore the cries of your child?! How could you just stand back and watch while it all happened?!”

 

“BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIND HIM!” Chuck roared at her, the ground rumbled around them.

 

He was surprised when his scream and the shaking of the earth didn't phase her.

 

“You told Sam and Dean he was dead! You knew he wasn't!” she said, her voice steady.

 

Chuck hung his head. “No, I didn't. Ever since he took on the role of Loki he’s been hidden from me. It wasn't until he found you that I was able to locate him and after I seen what he had been through, I knew he needed someone to blame. So, I let him blame me.”

 

“That's bullshit,” Arianna said, annoyance in her voice.

 

Chuck snapped his head up to look at her. Her bravada catching him off guard.

 

“He didn't need someone to blame. He needed his father. Even if his father was a coward. He deserves to know that you didn't just leave him there to rot.”

 

“Did you just-”

 

“Yes, I called you a coward.”

 

They stared at each other for a moment in silence. Her expression full of hate for the being in front of her and his full of astonishment that this girl had the audacity to speak to him the way she was. When he smiled at her, her expression faltered.

 

“The moment you met, I knew you would be good for him. I knew you would love him, but I didn't see that you would end up loving him as much as I do,” he said, deciding he liked her bravery.

 

Arianna blinked at him a moment, the conversation had taken a turn she wasn't prepared for.

 

“Am I strong enough to get to Akashic yet?” she asked, leading the conversation back to where she needed it to go.

 

“You always have been, but your idea of bringing the other Gabriel here isn't as easy as it sounds. Michael’s magic is still holding him there.”

 

“Can you break that magic?”

 

“I don't know.”

 

She knew he was lying. She knew that he knew exactly whether he could or not. She sighed angrily.

 

“Tell you what, if you talk to Gabriel then I’ll make sure the rest of us leave you alone. Your answer to my last question pretty much tells me we are on our own anyway. And trust me when I say, we will win, or die trying.”

 

Chuck sighed again. “Gabriel doesn't want to see me.”

 

“The hell he doesn't! He _needs_ to see you! He needs to know why!” Arianna was yelling at him now.

 

When he didn't respond she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

 

“Cher! Cher, Mamé is awake!” Remy’s voice came from the front porch.

 

Arianna took one last look at Chuck and started to walk away from him. She knew she wouldn't get through to him. Before she made it to the corner of the house, she turned back to him. He was watching her and their eyes instantly met.

 

“You're wrong about something else,” she said.

 

“And what’s that?”

 

“About me loving him as much as you do.”

 

Chucked cocked his head to the side in confusion.

 

“I love him more than you do. Because, I'm going to be the one standing beside him through this storm we are in and I'm going to be the one that helps him pick up the pieces in the aftermath,” she said and turned to finish walking to the front of the house.

 

She didn't notice the pain that settled in Chuck’s eyes and she definitely didn't notice when he started to follow her.

 

Arianna opened the now repaired door and walked inside the living room. Morpheus had returned with the others and everyone was gathered on the three couches. Gabriel had a hand on Edmee’s forehead searching for the reason why the curse had broken. Questions were flying from the others on the same topic.

 

She walked closer to the couches, tears still in her eyes from her recent encounter with Chuck. Yet, a relieved smile was on her face. Edmee was ok, even if the why she had to explain was going to cause some grief. One by one all the eyes in the room turned towards her and one by one everyone’s expression changed. Her brothers, Remy, Jack and Steven held looks of horrified confusion. Sam, Dean, Edmee, and Morpheus had shock all over their faces. But, Castiel and Gabriel, they had rage burning in their eyes. Quickly she realized none of the expressions were aimed at her, but directly behind her. She spun around and saw Chuck standing in the doorway. Her mouth dropped open as he walked further into the room, his eyes on his sons. She definitely hadn't been expecting that.

 

“YOU BASTARD!” she heard Gabriel yell.

 

In an instant she felt him fly past her with angelic speed and before anyone could react he tackled Chuck. They both went flying across the porch and out into the yard. Arianna sprinted after them, and after a moment to process what was happening the rest of the occupants of the room followed her.

 

They were greeted with the sight of Gabriel straddling his father’s chest as he let loose an onslaught of punches to his face. His eyes burning bright with his grace, the ground shook with every hit. Arianna ran to Gabriel and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind. He instantly stilled at her touch, his eyes still glowing and breathing hard.

 

“Gabriel, stop.” she whispered to him.

 

The Archangel let her pull him off of his father to sit on the ground next to him. She stood on her knees, pressing herself into his back with her arms still wrapped tightly around his shoulders. He was shaking from the rage and power surging through him. A ferrel growl rumbling from his chest as he stared down at his father, who appeared not to have a mark on him.

 

“Gabe, sweetheart, you have to calm down. I know you're angry and hurt, you have every right to be. But, this isn't going to help anything,” Arianna spoke softly into his ear, her voice calm and soothing. “Just breathe, my love. I'm right here.” she reassured him.

 

Chuck watched them in astonishment. He knew the wrath of an Archangel was an unstoppable force. Yet, this girl had stopped it with a simple touch. He watched as the glow in his son’s eyes faded. The Archangel closed his eyes as he calmed his breathing. He heard the growl emitting from Gabriel get lower and lower until in eventually faded away. Chuck cautiously set up, studying the two of them. She had calmed his son so easily, never once fearing the immense rage and power rolling off of him in waves.

 

Gabriel slowly opened his eyes, meeting his father's. Chuck could still see the anger burning in his son’s golden eyes, but now, it was controlled.

 

“Why are you here?” Gabriel asked, reaching a hand to cover one of Arianna's, silently asking her not to move.

 

“Arianna yelled at me and I answered.”

 

“Did you heal Edmee?”

 

“Yes, son.”

 

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!” Gabriel shouted, his eyes starting to glow again as the ground tremmored.

 

Arianna whispered something into his ear and he calmed again, his eyes returning to their normal amber.

 

“I provided you with the information needed to save Arianna from Raphael as well,” Chuck said.

 

“Then it was you who told me she was still alive?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Thank you. But, it doesn't change anything. You still abandoned all of us, left me alone when I needed you most. That shouldn't surprise me though,” Gabriel’s voice was like venom.

 

“If I could have saved you from Asmodeus, I would have.”

 

“Liar!”

 

“When you left Heaven and took on the persona of Loki, something inside of you changed. You became hidden from me. The only glimpses I caught of you were when you were near another angel. After Lucifer, you completely vanished, I thought you were dead. It wasn't until you found the Guardian-”

 

“Her name is Arianna. The Guardian is what she is, not who she is,” Gabriel said, cutting him off.

 

Chuck paused, contemplating his son’s correction. “It wasn't until you found Arianna that I could truly see you again. I seen what you had went through and I…” his voice trailed off.

 

“You what?!” Gabriel demanded.

 

Chuck hung his head, he was about to give the same excuse he had given earlier. Remembering Arianna’s reaction, he changed his mind. He looked up back into the Archangel’s eyes.

 

“I was ashamed. Ashamed I hadn't searched for you. Ashamed that I had failed you so horrendously. You and Castiel were the only angels that ever gave a damn about humanity the way I had wanted you to and I failed you both. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not perfect, Gabriel. I make mistakes just like the rest of you. I am truly sorry.”

 

Gabriel stared at his father in sheer disbelief. He hadn't been expecting such an honest answer, nor an apology. He simply didn't know how to react. After a moment of silence, Chuck got to his feet.

 

“I know I can never make up for what I have done, but I'm going to try,” he said, his eyes still locked on Gabriel’s “I must go and try to pull something off that should help all of you defeat the other world Michael.”

 

Chuck took a glance around the group gathered, watching his interaction with his son. Then he turned to walk away, but at the last second he turned back to Gabriel.

 

“And, Gabriel.” he started.

 

“Yes?” Gabriel asked, still thoroughly shocked at what had just transpired.

 

“It’s clear to me the way you feel about Arianna and the way she feels about you in return. She has more than proven her devotion to you. You have my permission to bond with her, if that is what the two of you wish.”

 

“Th..thank you,” Gabriel stammered.

 

Chuck smiled and nodded at his son.

 

“What about the bonding rings?” Gabriel asked.

 

Chuck chuckled. “You've already found them, or rather, Castiel and Jay found them.”

 

Without another word, Chuck vanished. They all stared at the place where he had stood. Shocked silence hanging in the air.

 

“Was that…” Steven started, breaking the silence. “Was that God?”

 

“He prefers to be called, Chuck, actually,” Dean said.

 

“Oh, _naturally_. WHAT?!” Steven yelled.

 

“I believe we should all go inside and explain some things to Steven,” Edmee suggested as she began to usher ever one inside the house, leaving Gabriel and Arianna where they were. She stopped at Castiel. “You should check on your brother.” she said and made her way inside the house as well.

 

Castiel looked over to his brother. He was still sitting on the ground with Arianna behind him. Both staring at where Chuck had been in a state of what he assumed was shock. He walked over to them, kneeling on the ground next to the Archangel.

 

“Are you OK?” Castiel asked.

 

Gabriel and Arianna both looked at him.

 

“I don't know,” Gabriel answered honestly.

 

Castiel stood, silently contemplating.

 

“I'm going to the bunker, I will return shortly,” he said after a moment.

 

“Why?” Arianna asked.

 

“To retrieve the golden box Jay and I found. Now that we know what it is, we should probably keep it close until we can figure out how to open it,” Castiel explained and was gone.

 

Arianna and Gabriel sat in silence, clinging to each other. Each of them processing what had just happened. Arianna dropped her head to rest her forehead on his shoulder.

 

“I guess, I have to have a conversation with Luke now,” Gabriel finally said.

 

Arianna raised her head. “Why?” she asked, confused.

 

Gabriel chuckled. “For permission to bond with you.”

 

Arianna moved to sit on her knees between his outstretched legs, facing him.

 

“Everyone already gave us their support,” she said.

 

“Have I finally found something angel related you don't know everything about?” he asked with a smile.

 

She laughed. “I guess so, all I know about a Heaven’s Bond is what I've already told you. You need God’s permission, you intertwine your grace with my soul, and we need the bonding rings to start the whole process.”

 

“It’s a little more in depth than that.”

 

“Then explain it to me.”

 

“Well, first of all, its not just my grace that weaves into your soul. Your soul intertwines with me as well. Normally, the human would take on a few of the angel’s powers, healing and immortality mostly. But, you already have those. So, I'm not sure what will happen with that aspect. To start the process, I need God’s permission to perform the ritual, which we got. So, check. Next, I'm supposed to ask your parents for their permission, but since that isn't possible, I have to ask your eldest sibling,” he explained.

 

“Then what?”

 

“That's where it gets a little complicated. We have to figure out how to open that damn box the bonding rings are apparently in. I have to present one of them to you when I ask you to bond with me. From there, we perform a ceremony. The ceremony consists of vows and an Enochian incantation we say when we put the other rings on each other. The final step is consummation, that is when your soul and my grace will essentially become one.”

 

Arianna thought for a moment. A thought slowly started to form in her mind and then, suddenly, it hit her.

 

“Oh my God!!!” she exclaimed.

 

“What?! What's wrong?!” Gabriel asked, worried by her outburst.

 

“I know why the other Guardian is so strong! I know why she has her Gabriel’s grace in her! They’ve done a Heaven’s bond! I saw a ring on Gabriel’s hand in Akashic but I didn't think anything of it at the time!”

 

Gabriel thought for a moment until the realization hit him as well.

 

“You're right, she wore a set of rings, too! Michael twisted the bonded grace inside of her!”  

 

Suddenly loud thunder rumbled above their heads and the evening sky turned black. They both quickly rose to their feet.

 

“Oh, this is never good,” Gabriel said dropping the Archangel blade from his sleeve to his hand.

 

Gabriel scanned the yard searching for the threat the thunder had warned of. He saw Sam and Dean run out the door, immediately flanking Arianna.

 

“Where are my brothers and Remy?” she asked quickly.

 

Thunder rolled again as lightning flashed above their heads.

 

“Checking the back,” Sam informed her.

 

“Guys look!” Dean exclaimed, pointing towards the sky.

 

Hurtling through the sky at an alarming speed was what appeared to be a meteor. Bright white light surrounded the object. Realizing the projectile was zooming straight toward them, Gabriel flung himself toward the Winchesters and Arianna just in time to knock them out of the way before the object crashed to the ground where they had been standing.

 

Smoke and dust filled the air. Bits of dirt rained down on their heads as hands started pulling them to their feet. Arianna quickly realized the hands belonged to her brothers and Remy. Once they were to their feet, Gabriel snapped his fingers and the smoke and flying debris disappeared.

 

They all gasped in shock. Laying on the ground where, what they had thought was a meteor had crashed, was Apocalypse World Gabriel. His black t-shirt and jeans still smoking from the trip he had taken through the atmosphere. He groaned in pain as he tried and failed to sit up. His head hitting the hard ground with a thud.

 

“Gabriel!” Arianna shouted and ran to him.

 

She dropped to sit on her knees beside him, helping him sit up. Finally, he opened his eyes. His honey eyes automatically meeting her deep blue ones. He froze as he stared at her. She saw the emotions fly through his eyes.

 

“Ari?” he whispered as he started to raise his hand to touch her cheek.

 

At the last second he stopped as a painful realization hit him.

 

“You're not my Ari,” he said, his voice tormented.

 

“No, I'm not. I'm sorry. But, she needs your help.”

 

“I know.”

 

Silence fell between them as they looked at each other. After a few moments the other world Gabriel got to his feet, Arinna did the same. She watched as he looked around, trying to process where he was. When his eyes finally fell on the other occupants in the yard his breath caught in his throat.

 

“Luke? Jay?” he whispered, tears in his voice now.

 

He shook his head, reminding himself that they weren't his Luke and Jay. Finally he looked to Gabriel. They gazed at each other with wide eyes.

 

“Well, this is trippy,” both Gabriels said in unison.

 

“I'm gonna need you two to _not_ do that ever again,” Dean said a little uncomfortable.

 

Apocalypse World Gabriel looked at the Winchesters with confusion on his face.

 

“Who are you two?” he asked.

 

“This is Sam and Dean Winchester. They are the ones that stopped the Apocalypse in this world,” Arianna informed him.

 

“So, is no one going to ask how the hell he got here?” Remy asked.

 

Apocalypse World Gabriel looked at the Cajun suspiciously.

 

“Uh..name’s Remy,” Remy fidgeted under the other world Archangel’s stare.

 

“Listen, uh, Gabriel,” Gabriel said to the other worlder. “I know this is a lot to take in, but we really need to know how you got here.” he stowed his Archangel blade back into his leather jacket.

 

Arianna moved to stand beside her Gabriel, lacing her fingers with his. Apocalypse World Gabriel watched the small act of affection closely, pain in his eyes. He pulled his stare from their intertwined hands to gaze upon all of their faces.

 

“I'm guessing it was the God of this world. He looked the same as the one in my world, at least what he looked like the last time we seen him. I had been trying to break through the door to this world since my grace came back. I never even made a dent, then he showed up, said you needed my help, opened the door, and hurled me through it,’ Apocalypse World Gabriel explained.

 

“Guess that's what he meant by doing something to help us,” Arianna said.

 

“So he’s been here recently?” The other Gabriel asked.

 

“Just here actually,” Gabriel answered.

 

Apocalypse World Gabriel chuckled and looked to Arianna. “Let me guess, you yelled at him, called him a son of a bitch, and he showed?” he asked.

 

Arianna laughed nervously. “Uh, yeah. I called him a coward once he was here, too.”

 

All eyes turned to her, shocked and a little proud.

 

“Merde, Cher!” Remy exclaimed.

 

The other Gabriel laughed. “It could have been worse. My Ari punched him in the face when she met him. It broke her hand, but that's beside the point. He didn't stick around long for us though, obviously.”

 

“He’s pretty much skipped out here, too. Yeah, he did some good just now, but for the most part, he's left us to our own devices,” Gabriel said

 

“Hey, guys I really hate to break up the ‘my dad and future in law sucks’ fest, but we don't know how long we have this Gabriel for. We should probably get down to business,” Dean said

 

“Dean’s right, how much do you know?” Arianna asked.

 

“I know my Ari has had her grace darkened by Michael and she's been giving you hell,” Apocalypse World Gabriel said, sadness creeping back into his voice.

 

“ _Her_ grace?” Sam questioned. “We thought it was yours?”

 

“Well, it is, kind of. Shortly after her Guardian powers were awakened we did a Heaven’s Bond between us. It’s where-” Apocalypse World Gabriel started

 

“We are aware of what it is. Chuck just gave Ari and Gabe permission to do one,” Jay said.

 

“Yeah, and Gabe and I just figured out that you two had done one,” Arianna added.

 

Alternate Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, well, that's why she has some of my grace in her. Michael has used a spell to darken that grace with demon blood.”

 

“Demon blood?!” Sam exclaimed. “How do you know that?!”

 

Alternate Gabriel sighed. “Because I can feel it. The second my grace came back to me it hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew she was in trouble when I saw her bring back this world’s Raphael, but she was gone before I could get to her and I never imagined this. What he’s done to her...it’s just sick. He’s twisted her memories to make her think I left her to die with him and that I'm dead.”

 

“If you can feel her, can she feel you?” Jay asked.

 

“I don't think so, but I don't know for sure. I haven't felt anything from her in seven years, I think because I didn't have my grace. Then she showed up in Akashik long enough to bring your Raphael back and she was gone. We started trying to contact you but it didn't work. Luckily Morpheus flew over Akashic and heard us. Then when my grace came back, it was like everything she went through the past seven years came with it. I tried communicating with her, but I think Michael has blocked her side of our connection,” Alternate Gabriel explained.

 

“How could you communicate with her if you couldn't communicate with us?” Luke asked.

 

“The Heaven’s Bond allows us to communicate telepathically if we need or want to,” The other Gabriel said.

 

“What?!” Gabriel and Arianna said together.

 

“Yeah, the bond opened a whole new world of abilities because she already had Archangel powers. I imagine it will be the same with the two of you,” Alternate Gabriel said.

 

“You got new powers too?” Gabriel asked.

 

“I mostly just got a lot stronger and we were able to combine our powers easier. Which is why Michael was so set on separating us and taking my grace. He knew there was no way to beat us if we were together,” Alternate Gabriel replied.

 

“What new abilities did she get?” Remy asked.

 

Alternate Gabriel sighed. “She can do everything I can do and….she has wings. That's what makes her so dangerous right now.”

 

Shock settled over the group as they realized just how dire their situation was.

 

“Do you know how to reverse what Michael has done to her?” Arianna asked.

 

“It’s extremely dark magic. The same kind of magic that he used to rip Raphael and I apart. The only way to reverse what he’s done is to get some of the blood from the demon he’s used, purify it, and somehow get her to ingest the purified blood,” Alternate Gabriel informed them.

 

“So, we have to go _back_ to Apocalypse world?!” Dean exclaimed.

 

“Well essentially the same demon of this word should work, they are made of the same stuff. At least, I hope, that particular demon is dead in my world,” Alternate Gabriel said.

 

“Of course he is,” Luke said sarcastically.

 

“How did this even happen, Gabriel? You told me she was given to a demon and taken to hell,” Arianna said.

 

“That's what I thought. The last thing I saw before Michael sent us to Akashic was Ari’s almost lifeless body in the arms of this demon. The demon bought her from Michael with his blood. Then next thing I know we are in another plane of existence and we felt the gates of hell being slammed shut. Once my grace came back, I saw what really happened. Michael had tricked the demon into giving him his blood. The demon thought he was going to get Ari, but once Michael had his blood he killed him and took the rest of his blood. That's when he started brainwashing her,” guilt and regret were deep in Alternate Gabriel’s voice.

 

“This just keeps getting worse,” Sam said. “What demon are we looking for?”

 

“His name is Aeshma,” Alternate Gabriel said.

 

“ _That_ son of a bitch! No wonder she’s so angry!” Gabriel said

 

“What do you mean?” Luke asked.

 

“He's the demon of wrath, pretty powerful too,” Gabriel explained. “And I've never heard of him rearing his ugly head on our Earth.”

 

“He was a constant pain in our asses,” Alternate Gabriel said.

 

“So, he's probably still in hell here then,” Jay suggested.

 

“OK, so, to sum up, we have to go to hell, find the demon of wrath, get his blood, purify it, and somehow convince the other Ari to drink it. Oh, and it may or may not work,” Dean said.

 

“Pretty much,” Gabriel said.

 

“Awesome!” Dean said sarcastically.

 

* * *

 

 

Michael had felt it the minute his spell was breached. The second his world’s Gabriel had crossed into this world, his grace fully restored. He knew he had to take precautionary measures. His Guardian hadn't seemed to notice the Archangel she was bonded with crossing into the reality she inhabited, and he intended to keep it that way. He would need more of Aeshma’s blood to do what he intended. He hoped this world’s wrath demon would work. He hoped that he got to the demon before his world’s Gabriel did.

 

Michael had tracked the demon to a remote area of Canada. Deep in the woods with nothing around except the small one room log cabin he stood in front of. The sky was bright with moonlight as he gazed upon the rundown shelter. He could feel the darkness of the demon inside. The other world Archangel smiled as he gripped his Archangel blade. It had been a long time since he had gotten to kill a demon.

 

Michael raised his hand into the air and slowly clenched it into a fist. The ground around him began to shake. The small cabin trembled with the ground and he could hear things falling to the ground inside. The angel’s eyes began to glow with his grace and the shaking became violent. The small cabin began to cave in on itself. Splinters, nails, and glass flew through the air and finally the building completely collapsed.

 

A figure of a man, cast in shadow stood in the middle of the fallen structure. Michael grinned wickedly when he saw the demon’s eyes glow a deep burgundy color. Gripping his angel blade he charged at the demon. He immediately sunk the blade into the demon's neck, killing him instantly. Michael was a little disappointed at how easy it had been. But, a smile came back to his face when he realized that it wouldn't be long until his brother came for the demon. He would make sure he found this place, then he would watch as his Guardian killed her Archangel.

 

* * *

 

 

“This isn't a good idea, Ari,” Luke said as he looked at his sister sitting on the hood of her car. “Every time you have went off without us you have almost died.”

 

“Luke, someone has to be here to protect Edmee. We can't count on Chuck coming back to fix her again if something else happens,” she argued.

 

“I'm not saying we leave her alone, Castiel has agreed to stay and protect her with Remy. Jay and I are going with you!” Luke protested.

 

“No!” Arianna shouted at him.

 

“Why not?!”

 

“Because..” she started trying to come up with a valid excuse, but finally gave in to the truth. “Because there is something you don't know.” he angry tone had vanished, replaced with concern.

 

“What don't I know?” Luke asked, his own tone easing.

 

“In the other world...you and Jay are dead.”

 

Luke blinked at her, slightly caught of guard by the revelation.

 

“Damn, Ari! Are there any more bombs you need to drop on me today?!” he asked angrily.

 

Arianna shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. Luke sighed.

 

“So what?” he said his tone softening. “That's that world, not ours.”

 

“With the other me and Gabriel here, I'm just afraid their past is going to repeat itself. They had all this power between them and Michael still tore them apart.”

 

Luke contemplated what she had said. He sighed again. “Ari, you told me yourself that the other Gabriel told you that the reason they failed was because they lost sight of their true source of strength: each other. They separated from their family and things started to fall apart. The only way we let that happen to us is if we do the same thing. It has been proven over and over again that we have to take on this war together.” he reached his hand out to take hers and pulled her off the hood and into a hug.

 

Arianna hugged her brother tightly as she buried her face in his chest, trying to hide her tears. Her Gabriel had located Aeshma quickly in a remote part of Canada, not in hell like they had originally thought, and the plan to attack had formed quickly. When she had suggested that Luke and Jay stay behind, a fight had erupted between her and her eldest sibling. Somehow in the course of the arguing he had drug her outside. She hadn't wanted to tell him why she wanted them to stay here, but he hadn't left her much choice.

 

Deep down she knew that Luke and Jay wouldn't stay behind, but she had had to try. But, now, it seemed there was no way around it. Her, her brothers, both Gabriels, and the Winchesters would be going to Canada to get the blood of the demon of wrath. None of them knowing exactly what they would find or if Michael knew that his Gabriel was now a part of their world. For all they knew they were walking right into a trap.

 

“Everything cool?” Dean’s voice came from behind the embraced siblings.

 

Luke and Arianna broke their embrace to turn to the eldest Winchester. Luke looked to his sister for confirmation, she simply nodded at him.

 

“Yeah, we’re good.” Luke said. “Sam and our Gabriel back yet?”

 

While the plan had formed, Edmee suggested that Steven’s safety needed to be taken into account. He didn't have the know how or skill to help in a fight. They had decided to send him to stay with Sam and Dean’s mother with the rest of the other world refugees. Gabriel and Sam had left to take him shortly after the decision had been made.

 

“Not yet, they should be zapping back in any minute now though,” Dean said.

 

Luke nodded. “I'm going to go help Jay get our weapons together.” he said and made his way back inside the house.

 

Once he was gone, Dean looked to Arianna.

 

“Are you doing OK?” he asked.

 

Arianna sighed. “As well as I can be. I mean, this is pretty much the norm for us now, right?”

 

“That’s not what I meant.”

 

She cocked her head to the side in confusion at him.

 

“I mean, what you went through with Raphael. As far as I know, you haven't really addressed what happened there,” he explained.

 

“I'm OK, Dean. I promise.”

 

Dean fidgeted nervously. “Well, if you need to talk…” his voice trailed off.

 

Arianna smiled when she realized what he was doing, or rather trying to do. He didn't want to make the same mistakes he had made with Gabriel. She felt his surprise when she wrapped her arms around his waist to hug him. Hesitantly, he returned her gesture.

 

“Thank you, Dean,” she said, genuinely grateful of his effort.

 

Dean smiled and pulled away.

 

“You ready to go gank a demon?” he said, his smile turning into a smirk.

 

Her smile faded. “You know we are probably walking right into a trap?”

 

“Yeah, but at least this time, we are prepared for it,” he said, his smirk never faltering.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel sat on the edge of Arianna’s bed in her bedroom at Edmee’s. He was holding the golden box that the bonding rings were encased in. Castiel had returned from the bunker with it in the midst of them deciding where they should take Steven. Once the Archangel had returned from taking Steven to safety, his brother had told him he placed the box in Arianna’s room. Now, here he sat with another fight looming over his head, yet the only thing on his mind was getting the damn thing open. He shook his head as he set the box down on the nightstand. He had to get his mind on the right things and he knew that. He stood up from the bed just as the door opened and Luke walked in.

 

“Hey, there you are,” Luke said, “What are you doing up here?”

 

Gabriel looked towards the golden object with his name on it and then back to Luke.

 

“Ah, I see. Still can't get it open, huh?” Luke asked. He walked over and picked the box up, turning it in his hands. “Maybe you should ask the other you how he got his opened.”

 

“I have a feeling this is probably something I have to figure out on my own,” Gabriel replied.

 

“Maybe, it’s worth a shot though.”

 

Gabriel watched as Luke examined the golden object closely. The question he needed to ask Luke floating in his mind as he did. He knew he should probably wait until after what they were about to do, but something inside of him was screaming for him to ask now.

 

“Uh, Luke…” Gabriel started, suddenly nervous. He ran a hand through his hair quickly when Luke looked up at him.

 

“Yeah?” Luke asked.

 

Gabriel shifted on his feet. He had never been this nervous before, he didn't like it.

 

“Gabriel, what’s wrong, man?” concern was edging into Luke’s tone.

 

“I need to ask you something,” Gabriel said.

 

“OK?” Luke was a little worried.

 

Gabriel ran a hand through his hair again before he spoke. “The Heaven’s Bond doesn't just require me getting permission from dad. I’m supposed to get permission from Ari’s parents as well, but, since that isn't an option, I have to get it from you,” Gabriel swallowed and took a breath. “May I have your permission to bond with Arianna?”

 

Luke stared at him for a moment. Not sure exactly how to react. Then he heard his parents words in his head and he smiled.

 

“So this is what they meant,” Luke said.

 

Gabriel looked at him confused. “Uh...what?”

 

“When I was almost dead and I seen mom and dad, before you pulled me back they told me that you would be coming to me to have a very important conversation and that I should give you my blessing,” Luke explained. “The answer is yes, Gabriel. I give you permission to bond with my sister. And, for the record, mom and dad give theirs too.”

 

Gabriel smiled broadly. Before he could speak, a faint humming began to emit from the golden box in Luke’s hands. They both stared at it with wide eyes as the Enochian lettering of Gabriel’s name began to glow with white light. The humming grew louder until a loud pop resounded through the room followed by silence. Slowly the lid of the box rose, revealing the three rings inside nestled into a golden velvet cushion. There was a set of his and hers silver bands, each with Enochian symbols elegantly etched around them. There was also a thinner band silver ring with a large, trillion cut tanzanite gem on the top and accented with small diamonds around the band.

 

“Hey, you figured out how to open it!” Alternate Gabriel said. He had just entered through the open door.

 

Gabriel and Luke turned to look at him, awe still on their faces.

 

“When are you going to ask her?” Alternate Gabriel asked.

 

Gabriel and Luke looked at each other and then back to the rings.

 

“I...I don't know,” Gabriel stammered, gently taking the box from Luke and looked to the alternate version of himself. “We were planning on a God’s Union tomorrow evening before Edmee was cursed and dad showed up. Looks like any wedding plans are postponed for now.”

 

Alternate Gabriel winced pain darkening his amber eyes. “Don't postpone anything, not when it comes to her. If there is any way at all it can happen tomorrow then do it tomorrow. You don't know when your last chance will be.”

 

“I agree with what you are saying, but with everything breathing down our necks-” Gabriel started.

 

“Trust me,” Alternate Gabriel said, cutting him off. “don't wait on anything when it comes to her. As soon as you have a minute to do so, ask her and then start the ritual.” he sighed as he fought the anguish in his voice. “Around the time Michael captured her, we were basically leading an army, we had to act accordingly.  We had been going at it nonstop for months and she was getting run down. She came to me one day and asked if we could take a break, just for one night. She told me she needed me to herself for just _one night_. But, before I could answer, Raphael showed up. He said he thought he had found a break in Michael’s defenses and needed my help to verify it. I told her our night would have to wait until I got back and I left. I barely even kissed her before I left, thinking she would be there when I returned. When I came back, the place had been leveled. Everyone was dead and Ari was missing. If I had done what she wanted, I would have been there when Michael attacked and she wouldn't be in the situation she's in. So don't wait, you never know how much time you have with the ones you love. As soon as we get back from this, make time.”

 

Luke and Gabriel shared a look between them, neither of them really knowing what to say.

 

“Gabe?” Arianna’s voice drifted into the room from downstairs in the hallway.

 

“She’s calling for you, not me,” Alternate Gabriel said. “keep those rings on you.”

 

Gabriel nodded and gingerly took the rings from their golden cushion and placed them in an inside pocket of his leather jacket. He placed the golden box on the bed and made his way out of the room.

 

“Listen, Gabriel,” Luke started, pulling Alternate Gabriel’s attention to him. “I understand what we have to do tonight and I promise that we will all do whatever it takes to reunite you and your Ari. But…”

 

“But, what?”

 

“I don't mean any disrespect, but, if it comes down to saving your Ari or mine-” Luke started.

 

“I know you will choose yours. I wouldn't expect any less from you, Luke. You were as protective of her in my world as you seem to be in this world.”

 

* * *

 

 

The Lawson siblings, both Gabriels, and the Winchester brothers landed in front of what was once a one room cabin in a remote area of Canada. Debris from the destroyed structure littered the ground. The moon high in the sky glinting off of the broken glass on the ground. Together, they moved slowly through the wreckage until they came upon the body of the demon they had come for. His throat ripped out and his eyes now burnt out of his skull, but not a drop of blood anywhere on the scene.

 

“Son of a bitch!” Dean said in anger.

 

“What now?” Jay asked.

 

“Keep your eyes open, Michael is still here,” Alternate Gabriel replied.

 

The hunters and the angels scanned the area for any signs of the opposing angel. All of them holding their respective blades, ready to attack given the chance. A loud boom echoing through the night caught all of their attentions and they turned toward the tree line to see Michael, an evil smile plastered on his face and a large glass bottle of blood in his hand. He held the bottle up, looking directly at Apocalypse World Gabriel.

 

“Looking for some of this, brother?” he asked mockingly.

 

“You stopped being my brother a long time ago, Michael,” Alternate Gabriel said, fury and hate in his voice.

 

Michael made a tsking sound. “It’s really a shame you feel that way, Gabriel. Because, your pet seems quite fond of me now.” Michael turned his head to look behind him. “Isn't that right, Guardian?”

 

Apocalypse World Arianna stepped out from behind Michael and stood at his side, an Archangel blade gripped in her right hand.

 

“Yes, sir,” she said her voice monotone.

 

The other world Gabriel choked at the sight of her, his heart shattering. Her once blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes now both a deep ruby. The light that was once in her eyes was now gone. It had been replaced with the blank stare of mind control. She looked at him as if they’d never met, like she didn't even know who she was.

 

“Ari,” he whispered, his voiced pained and strangled.

 

“What do you think of the improvements I've done on her?” Michael asked, looking at his Guardian approvingly.

 

“She was perfect the way she was!” Alternate Gabriel seethed.

 

He felt the others taking defensive stances on either side of him.

 

“Gabriel, he's done something else to her,” Dean said to the other world Archangel. “She wasn't like this the last time we seen her. The last time she still somewhat had control over herself.

 

“Good eye, Dean!” Michael praised. “See funny thing about this form of mind control that I've discovered through observation; the more blood that she ingests, the further she falls under my control.” he looked back to his world’s Gabriel. “She doesn't even remember you now.” The smile that speared across his lips was bone chilling, he relished in the look of despair in his brother’s eyes.

 

Michael walked around behind the other world Guardian and reached his arm around to hold the bottle of blood in front of her face. “I'm curious as to what would happen if she drank the rest of the blood though.”

 

“Michael, no!” Arianna shouted, taking a step towards him. “You don't know what that will do, you could kill her, or all of us!”

 

Michael raised his hand and the hunters and the Archangels went flying backwards through the air. As soon as they hit the ground they were rushing back to their feet ready to retaliate, but what they saw made them freeze mid attack. Apocalypse World Arianna had the bottle of blood to her lips as she drank every drop, Michael laughing maniacally as she did.

 

The empty bottle fell from her hands and shattered at her feet, followed by a deafening silence. Michael walked around to look at her from the side. She turned her head to look at him as her eyes turned completely black. A wicked smile crossed her face.

 

“I'm no longer yours to control, Michael,” she said.

 

Michael’s eyes grew large in fear as he watched his Guardian raise her hand and shoot a blast of blood red energy towards him. He narrowly missed being pierced through the chest. Realizing he had lost his control he looked over to his Gabriel.

 

“Have fun killing your wife or being killed by her, whichever,” he said and with a loud boom he was gone.

 

The other world Guardian slowly turned towards the hunters, her Alternate self, and the two Gabriels, the same wicked smile on her face.

 

“Oh, we are so screwed!” Luke exclaimed.

 

Alternate Arianna tilted her head as her eyes met her Gabriel’s. Realization slowly started to come to her, her expression growing angrier with each passing second.

 

“You!” she screamed as she shot beams of crimson energy at him.

 

The entire group scattered and jumped out of the way, but Alternate Gabriel had been hit, knocking him into a nearby tree, breaking it in half. The others scrambled towards him, but suddenly they were floating in the air.

 

“I don't know who you think the lot of you are, but this is between me and the Archangel,” Alternate Arianna said.

 

She threw them hard in the opposite direction. Holding them to the ground with her power where they crashed, she turned back to her Gabriel. He was just pulling himself to his feet from her attack.

 

“Ari, please, it’s me,” Alternate Gabriel said gripping his angel blade, praying he wouldn't have to use it.

 

“I know exactly who you are,” Alternate Arianna snapped. “You left me with Michael. You let him tear at me and defile me. You let him drain me and then you skip out and fake your death. I shouldn't be surprised I guess, once a lying trickster, always a lying trickster.” she squeezed the handle of the Archangel blade in her hand, her black eyes burning with hate. “And now here you are with a blade ready to finish me off.”

 

Alternate Gabriel looked at the blade in his hand and threw it to the ground. He wouldn't fight her, he would die before he would be the one to take her life. He had to get through to her somehow. Slowly he raised his hands in a surrender gesture.

 

“Ari, please, none of that is true,” he started, taking a step toward her. “I searched the entire globe for you. When I finally found you, Michael was waiting for us. He had chained us with binding before we knew what hit us. Then he stole our grace and shoved us into Akashic. I've spent the past seven years trapped there, trying to get out, not knowing if you were alive or dead.”

 

“LIAR!” she screamed, lunging toward him.

 

He easily dodged her, grabbing her by the arm. He turned her to face him and backed her up against a tree, pinning her hands at her sides.

 

“Ari, deep down you know I'm not lying. When you found out that I was Gabriel instead of Loki, I made a promise I would never lie to you again. I've never broken that promise,” He said forcing her to look at him.

 

“You broke that promise every time you said you loved me! You never loved me, all I ever was to you was a weapon!” she yelled struggling against him.

 

He pressed his forehead to hers, the act of affection stilled her.

 

“You know that’s not true. I fell in love with you before we even knew you were the Guardian. Do you remember the first time I told you I loved you? You made me repeat myself three times before you would believe I said the words,” Alternate Gabriel had tears forming in his eyes as he spoke of their past. “Remember the first time we made love? I knew then that my life would mean absolutely nothing without you in it.”

 

Tears in her eyes, Alternate Arianna’s eyes flashed from black, to ruby, to blue, and back to black. She roared in fury as her body began to radiate a bright crimson, the energy blasting the other world Gabriel to the ground.

 

“NO!” she screamed, jumping on top of him, her knees pinning his arms to the ground. She pushed her blade against his neck. “You can't charm your way out of this, Gabriel!” angry tears streamed down her face.

 

“Arianna! Please don't!”

 

Alternate Arianna turned her head at the female voice. Standing a few feet from where she had her Gabriel pinned to the ground was the Alternate version of herself. She looked at her confused for a moment before she raised her free hand and shot a beam of power straight toward her, knocking her back with the others.

 

The distraction had given Alternate Gabriel the time he needed, when his Guardian looked back to him he was glowing with his grace. He used his strength to lift his arms and throw her backwards onto the ground, knocking the Archangel blade from her hand. They both lunged for it at the same time, Alternate Gabriel just a fraction faster. He got to his feet, gripping the blade in his hand.

 

“Go ahead,” Alternate Arianna said rising to her feet. “Kill me, Gabriel. Because if you don't, I won't stop until I kill you.”

 

“No,” he said, throwing the blade to the ground. “I love you, Ari.”

 

She stared at the discarded blade, surprised at his action. He took the opportunity to close the distance between them, wrapping one arm around her waist and tilting her face to look at him with the other. He crushed his lips to hers, forcing his grace to run through her body. He put as much love and passion behind the kiss as he possibly could, praying to any version of his father that would listen for it to work. To bring his love back to him.

 

Alternate Arianna fought and tried to push away at first, until the memories of their life came flooding back to her. The battles they fought side by side, the love they shared, and the bond between them. She gave into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his waist and desperately pulling him closer to her. Fresh tears streamed down from both of their closed eyes as their mouths moved together.  White light shined around them, purifying the other world Guardian. As the light faded, Alternate Gabriel broke the kiss, looking into his Arianna’s face. When her eyes fluttered open, she was looking back at him with sapphire blue eyes.

 

“Gabriel?” she asked, tears catching in her voice.

 

He carded a hand affectionately through her hair. “Yeah, Sugar, it’s me.” he said, his voice thick with tears.

 

He cupped the side of her face with his hand and pulled her into another kiss. This one filled with as much love and passion as the one before it. He had finally done it, he had finally found her and this time, he would never let her go again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, a special shout out to Pyr8Wench. Your comments and love for this story have meant the absolute world to me. Thank you so much for your support.
> 
> I have been stuck on this fic for quite some time, but I'm finally starting to make progress again. Only two more chapters left! I also have another story in the works!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read!!


	9. A Heaven's Bond

_**Chapter 9: A Heaven's Bond** _

 

 

_****_ ****

The Winchesters, the Lawson twins, and Gabriel sat in the library of the bunker around one of the tables in silence. After Apocalypse World Gabriel had broken the spell on his Guardian, she had fainted in his arms. Not wanting to take her back to Edmee’s until they were sure the spell had been completely broken, they had all decided it would be best to go to the bunker until Apocalypse World Arianna recovered. Upon arriving at their destination, Gabriel had offered his room for the Alternate Gabriel to take the other Guardian to until she woke up. He had accepted and Arianna showed him the way. When Arianna returned to the library, all eyes fell on her. Each looking at her expectantly.

 

“How is she doing?” Sam asked.

 

“I think she’s going to be OK, but I can't say for certain,” Arianna replied, taking a seat next to her Archangel. “The other Gabriel didn't want to leave her, so I told him we could all talk later.”

 

Skeptical expressions were shared among the men and the Archangel. A few hours earlier, the other Guardian had attempted to hurt one of their own and not even an hour before they got to the bunker she had been so deep under the influence of the spell, she had tried to kill Apocalypse World Gabriel. No one wanted to say it, but their faith that she was fully recovered wasn't strong. Their luck wasn't that good and they knew it. They also knew that if it came down to it, Alternate Gabriel wouldn't be able to bring himself to take the life of his Guardian. Tonight had been proof of that.

 

“Guys,” Luke started, his uneasiness coming through in his voice. “I hate to say this, mainly because it feels like I'm talking about my own sister, but, what if the spell isn't broken? That Gabriel said himself there was only one way to break the spell, and that's not what happen.”

 

“We all know what has to happen if she goes dark side again,” Dean said gravely. “and that Gabriel won't be able to do it.”

 

“It will fall to one of us,” Sam added.

 

Gabriel sighed. “Actually, with Archangel grace being a part of her, it may take the Archangel blade to get the job done. Which mean it will be myself or Ari that has to do it.”

 

“God, we don't even know for sure how to kill her if we have to! Just once, can't something just be a good thing? Just once? This poor guy just got his wife back after being separated for seven years and we have to sit here talking about how we are going to kill her in the event our normal luck kicks in!” Jay ranted.

 

“I honestly don't think she's going to turn,” Arianna said cautiously. “When her grace was darkened, I could feel the rage inside of her. I don't feel that anymore. Maybe we will get lucky this time. Maybe they will help us take down Michael. They do have an even bigger bone to pick with him than we do.”

 

“That is a possibility,” Sam agreed. “But, until we know for sure, we have to stay prepared. The other Gabriel gave us the Archangel blade she was using, so both Ari and Gabe will keep one on them at all times and the rest of us will keep angel blades on us. I just hope none of us have to use them.”

 

“I really don't think we will. I truly think he saved her,” Arianna said.

 

* * *

 

 

Apocalypse World Gabriel sat in a desk chair next to the bed where his Arianna laid sleeping. He held one of her hands in both of his. He placed a kiss on the back of her hand, keeping her hand close to his mouth. After trying to heal her multiple times and finding nothing to mend, he accepted his fate: All he could do was sit there and wait, feeling helpless. Tears stung his eyes as he silently prayed to anything that would listen that she would wake up and be OK.

 

He felt his heart leap into his throat when she started to stir, an anguished groan escaping her lips. Her sapphire blue eyes fluttered open and she looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was. When her eyes fell on her Archangel she quickly sat up, her hand falling from his grasp to rest on the bed beside her. They stared at each other wide eyed, both afraid to move. Terrified that the other may be a figment of their imagination.

 

“Am I dreaming?” she asked as tears began to spill down her cheeks. “Are you really here?”

 

“I'm really here, Sugar,” he said his voice catching from his own tears.

 

She sprung from the bed and into his lap, facing him. She placed her hands on either side of his face, pressing their foreheads together as he slid his hands around her waist.

 

“I'm sorry,” he said, tears freely running down his face now. “I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you.”

 

“I'm sorry he broke me. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, even if it was just a spell,” she said in return.

 

She pressed their lips together. The kiss instantly turning hungry. Gabriel ran his tongue along the seam of her lips and she parted them. He wasted no time dipping his tongue into her mouth, twisting with hers. She rocked her hips into him, feeling his already rock hard erection beneath her. Reaching a hand between them he started to undo the ties on her corset. His fingers fumbled over the ties, he needed her so badly he was shaking. Finally, the last one was untied and the corset fell to the ground.

 

He broke the kiss to look at her. His breath caught in his throat. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. A smile crossed her face as she took in his awed expression. Her hands slipped from his face to the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and off of him. Before the garment hit the floor, he was standing, wrapping her legs around his waist and attacking her mouth with his. Gently he laid her down on the bed. He moved his lips, kissing down her jaw line to her neck. Her hands instantly moving to the base of where his wings would be if they were visible.

 

He growled his approval as he bit down on her neck, pulling a loud moan from her. She could feel her slick soaking her panties as she bucked her hips into him. He took her cue and immediately pulled away causing her legs to fall to the bed. His fingers slipped into the waist of her skirt, she lifted her hips for him as he slid the clothing off of her and threw it to the floor. He unzipped both of her knee high boots and soon they were on the floor as well.

 

She watched him closely as he got off of the bed and took off the rest of his clothing. He smirked at the moan that came from her when she saw his hard cock spring free. He knew she needed him as badly as he needed her. But, he had waited seven years to finally touch her again and he wasn't going to rush this. He crawled over her legs, spreading them wide as he did. Kissing up her inner thighs, he relished in the sound of her moaning his name. Loving the way her fingers twisted into his hair as he got closer to her mound.

 

When his tongue finally teased at her entrance she screamed his name, bucking her hips. The simple touch almost sending her over the edge. His name was the only coherent word she could form as he lapped at her folds and swirled his tongue over her clit. With the heat of an orgasam building inside her core, she pulled his face closer to her by his hair. Seeming to know exactly what she needed he stuck two fingers inside of her and began pumping his hand wildly in and out of her. His tongue swirling on her sensitive nub and his fingers slamming into her sent her quickly over the edge, screaming his name. He pulled his face away, his fingers continuing their movements, to watch her ride her orgasam. 

 

When he felt her walls stop clenching around his fingers and her body began to still, he pulled his hand from her. Her body twitched as it recovered from her orgasam. Slowly she opened her eyes that she has squeezed shut and their eyes locked.

 

“I need you inside me, Gabriel,” she whispered.

 

With no hesitation he crawled up to her and caught her lips with his. Threading his fingers into her hair, he pushed his throbbing member inside of her. They both cried out at the sensation. Her hands gripped his biceps and her legs wrapped around his waist as he began to thrust into her. With a slow rhythm, he made love to her, revealing in how tight her muscles clenched around him.

 

She moaned into his mouth. The feeling of him filling her completely, hitting all the right spots, consuming her. He growled her name as he moved his lips to her neck, sucking and biting her sensitive skin. The sounds of her moaning filled the room as she met each of his thrusts with her own. Slowly he built up speed, feeling her velvet was clenching tighter around him as he did. She was so close, so was he. 

 

“Come with me, Sugar,” he said and crushed his lips back to hers, immediately weaving their tongues together.

 

A few more thrusts inside of her was all it took. They both went spiraling into their orgasams both of them screaming the other’s name. The sensations so strong their vision blurred for a moment as he fucked her all the way through their highs. Slowly, he stilled inside of her. They were both panting, trying to catch their breath. He rolled onto his side, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, afraid to let go. He kissed her lips slowly.

 

“I love you,” he said.

 

His Guardian reached her hand up to run her fingers through his hair. “I love you, too.”

 

His golden eyes stared into hers. “I thought I would never get to hold you again.”

 

“I thought the same thing,” she said and kissed him again. “I wish we never had to leave this bed.”

 

“Tonight, we don't.”

 

“Gabe, I remember everything up until I passed out in your arms. I know how bad the situation is and I know there are people outside of wherever this room is waiting on some answers. Michael is our responsibility and mmph-” 

 

He crushed his lips to hers, cutting off her words. Pulling her as close to him as possible, he devoured her mouth until she pulled away with her breath heavy.

 

“I understand that, but whatever is waiting outside of this room can wait until morning. The other me has something to take care of anyway,” he said with a smile.

 

Her eyes grew wide and she gasped, guilt wracking her expression. “Oh no! I completely ruined their wedding didn't I?!”

 

Gabriel laughed. “It worked out that you did, this world's you challenged this world's God and he ended up giving them permission to do a Heaven’s Bond. Gabriel just figured out how to open the damn bonding ring box right before we left to get you. I'm hoping he’s smart enough to ask her tonight to bond with him.”

 

Arianna smiled brightly. “Should we let them in on what to expect and the changes that will happen afterward?”

 

“I hinted at some of it. They know you have all the powers of an Archangel now, that we can talk telepathically, and that you have wings. The rest, I think they should figure out on their own. Going through those things together brought us closer.”

 

“Even that last thing we found out right before we were separated?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

 

“Especially that thing. They won't need to worry about it for a while and I don't quite think they could handle that information just yet. We will tell them once all this is over and they can actually focus on it.”

 

“Do you really think we can end this this time?” Arianna asked, her expression turning serious.

 

“There isn't a doubt in my mind.”

 

“He brought his army with him, Gabriel, and we don't have ours anymore.”

 

“Then we build another one. We already have a start with the people working with this world's us. Hell, the Winchesters are the ones that stopped the Apocalypse here,” he said confidently. He took in her worried expression and reached up to cup the side of her face with his hand. “He may have won a few battles against us, but we will win the war, my love.”

 

* * *

 

 

Jay and Arianna were in the kitchen of the bunker, each leaning with their backs against the island counter next to each other; their arms crossed over their chest. Jay turned his head to look at his sister, who was lost in thought staring at the wall. He fidgeted nervously, causing her to eye him suspiciously.

 

“Should...should we check on them?” Jay asked just wanting to end the silence.

 

Arianna started to laugh, “If she’s awake, then they are busy.”

 

Jay stiffened uncomfortably. “Yeah...you may be right.”

 

Silence settled between then again. Jay shifted on his feet nervously.

 

“What's wrong with you?” she asked.

 

Jay looked at her with a deer in the headlights look. “Wh..what do you mean?”

 

She arched an eyebrow at him. “You're acting weird.”

 

“Well we do have alternate versions of you and Gabe in the bunker and we don't know if the alternate version of you is going to flip out and attack us or not,” he said quickly, smiling proudly at his quick excuse.

 

“Bull shit,” she said, calling his bluff.

 

He stared at her with wide eyes. He was bad at lying to his sister. Gabriel had ask him to distract her while he and Luke snuck away to set something up for Arianna. The Archangel hadn't wanted her to know he was even gone, and Sam and Dean were supposed to be helping him. Jay cursed them inside his head because of their absence as he stared into his sister's waiting face.

 

“Well?” Arianna asked expectantly.

 

“Uhh...are you hungry?” he asked lamely, turning and walking towards the refrigerator. “I think Dean still has some apple pie left.” 

 

Arianna rolled her eyes. “Fine, don't tell me,” she said pushing herself from the counter and walking towards the exit. “I'm going to go find Gabe.”

 

“NO!” Jay shouted as he ran to stand in front of her.

 

His sister took a step back looking at him confused. “OK, seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?!” she demanded.

 

“He’s  _ attempting _ to do me a favor,” Gabriel said from the doorway of the kitchen.

 

Jay and Arianna turned to see the Archangel smirking and Luke beside him snickering at his brother.

 

“You suck at this, Jay!” Luke said with a laugh.

 

Jay looked at his brother and the Archangel with relief on his face. Arianna put her hands on her hips and looked between the three of them with impatience verging on anger.

 

“Someone better tell me what the hell is going on. What favor?” she demanded.

 

Gabriel moved closer to her and held out his hand. “Let me show you.”

 

Arianna looked from his hand to the smirk on his face. His whiskey eyes sparkled with anticipation as their gaze met. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her to him, placing her hand on his shoulder and slipping his around her waist. The kitchen around her started to blur as she heard the faint flapping of his wings. With a loud pop in her ears the bunker disappeared.

 

Gabriel was now grinning widely as she took in her surroundings with a gasp. A full moon hung high in the sky making the sights around them glow. They were on a beach, standing inside of a circle of lit rose gold tea candles nestled inside of opaline glass orbs. Cut white calla lilies, in full bloom, were scattered along the sand as far as she could see. The waves crashing along the shore glittered with bright blue luminescence, appearing to reflect the stars that shone brightly in the sky.

 

“Gabriel,” she said breathlessly. “It’s beautiful! Where are we?”

 

She looked back to him and seen the single white calla lily in his free hand. He offered it to her with a bright smile and she took it matching his expression.

 

“We are on Vaadhoo Island in Maldives,” he explained. “Do you like it?”

 

“I love it! Did you do that to the water?”

 

He chuckled. “No, its naturally occurring.”

 

“Why did you do all of this?”

 

“Because I have a question to ask you and it warrants a grand romantic gesture,” he said, pulling away from her to kneel down on one knee.

 

Her eyes grew wide with surprise as he took her left hand into his.

 

“Gabriel,” she whispered, tears of joy filling her eyes. 

 

He locked his amber eyes with her deep sapphire orbs as he spoke. “Arianna, never in my long life did I ever dream I would meet someone as awe inspiring as you. Nor did I think I would be lucky enough to call you mine. You are the most beautiful, kind, loving, and loyal woman I have ever met. Sometimes, I still can't believe that you love me. I was so far gone when you found me, and you not only managed to pull me back from the edge, but you gave me a reason to live again and gave me something worth fighting for. I can't imagine a life without you with me. Would you make me the happiest being in all of creation and do me the honor of bonding with me?” Tears were filling his own eyes as he reached into his leather jacket and pulled out the tanzanite ring. 

 

Arianna gasped at the sight of the bonding jewelry. “Oh, Gabriel,” she said, her voice catching from her tears. “Yes, yes, of course I will bond with you!”

 

Gabriel slipped the ring on her ring finger, the tanzanite gem glowing brightly as he did. When the light had faded, he rose, pulling her into his arms and connecting their lips together in a loving and heated kiss. 

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, Sam and Dean were in the library of the bunker each on a laptop searching for signs of angel activity in news articles on various websites. So far, they hadn't found anything, which was troubling. They both looked up, their postures stiffening nervously, as the Apocalypse World versions of Gabriel and Arianna walked into the room hand in hand. They all stared at each other for a moment, unsure of how to react to one another.

 

“Uh...hi guys,” Sam said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “Are you hungry Arianna...uh...I mean...do you eat?” he fumbled with his words.

 

Alternate Arianna laughed nervously, absentmindedly pulling at the hem of the navy blue tank top she wore with her free hand. “Yeah, I eat, I'm still part human. But, no, I'm not hungry. Thank you though.”

 

A nervous silence settled over the group again. Sam and Dean looked at each other, not sure if they should ask the questions burning in their minds.

 

“Guys,” Alternate Gabriel said, sensing the tension between them. “I promise, she's good.”

 

Dean sighed regretfully. “With all due respect, man. You're a little biased in this situation. Things never work out this simple for us and we just have to be cautious.”

 

Anger flared in the Alternate Archangel’s eyes, his chest puffing up as he stepped forward to defend his Guardian. Before any words could leave his mouth she pulled her hand from his and placed it on his chest, instantly calming him. 

 

“Gabe, it’s OK. They have every right to be wary of me. I would be wary of me, too,” she removed her hand and turned back to the Winchesters. “I don't mind wearing an Archangel binding cuff if it makes everyone feel better. Gabriel has told me that the me of this world is pretty privy to how angels work, I'm sure she has one.”

 

“Yeah, I think she-” Dean started.

 

“Dean!” Sam snapped cutting him off. “No, Arianna, that won't be necessary.”

 

“Are you sure?” she asked, looking at Dean.

 

“Yeah, we’re sure,” he grumbled, reluctantly agreeing with his brother.

 

“So,” Alternate Gabriel said, desperate to change the subject. “Where is everybody?”

 

Sam breathed a sigh of relief at the change of topic. “Ari and Gabe still aren't back from Vaadhoo and…” he paused for a moment. “Uh..Luke and Jay are still sleeping I think,” he said slowly, anticipating Alternate Arianna’s reaction.

 

“It’s ok, uh, Sam, right?” she waited for him to nod before she continued. “Gabel pretty much filled me in on everything he knew before we left the room. I know what to expect.”

 

“Morning everyone,” Jay said as he and his twin entered the room.

 

Alternate Arianna spun around at the sound of his voice. Even though she had known this world’s version of her brothers were alive, nothing had prepared her for what the sound of Jay’s voice would do to her. Jay and Luke froze in their tracks looking at the red headed version of their sister. Tears were in her eyes and she could feel the lump in her throat. The twins surprised her when they both hugged her tightly at the same time. Hesitantly, she wrapped an arm around each of them as her tears spilled down her cheeks. They stayed in their embrace for a moment before they pulled away.

 

“Thank you,” she said as she wiped her tears away. “I thought I would never get to do that again.”

 

Alternate Gabriel wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, placing a soft kiss to her temple. She smiled warmly up at him, silently thanking him for his comfort.

 

“Have our Ari and Gabriel made it back yet?” Luke asked, not knowing what else to do but change the subject.

 

“Not yet,” Dean said with a grin. “I'm guessing she said yes.”

 

“Did he ask her to bond with him last night?” Alternate Gabriel asked.

 

“Yeah he took her to Vaadhoo island to.. Uh..propose?” Luke said, unsure of what to call it.

 

Alternate Arianna laughed. “Yes, proposal is the right word.”

 

“Do you think they did the whole ritual last night?” Jay asked.

 

“I doubt it, I'm sure your Arianna would want all of you there for that. The ceremony part of it at least,” Alternate Arianna said.

 

“I sure as hell hope so, my baby is still filled to the brim with lilies back at Edmee’s,” Dean said.

 

“Your baby?” Alternate Arianna questioned.

 

“Uh, my car,” Dean replied.

 

“Listen guys, I hate to say this, but maybe we should call them. We have a lot to discuss and they need to be here for it,” Sam said reluctantly.

 

Jay sighed loudly and took his phone from his jeans pocket.

 

“I’ll go call, Ari,” he said and exited the room

 

A few minutes later, Arianna and Gabriel were seated around a table in the library with the alternate versions of themselves, the Winchester brothers, and the Lawson twins.

 

“I guess we should just dive right in,” Dean said, starting the meeting. “What do you remember from being Michael’s puppet?” he asked alternate Arianna.

 

Apocalypse World Arianna looked at her Gabriel. He wove his hand with hers and nodded.

 

“I remember everything,” she started. “He’s brought an army with him, 300 angels  _ at least _ . He’s planning a huge attack and with Raphael’s grace still in him, it could be catastrophic to this world.”

 

Shock rippled through the room.

 

“If there are so many of them, why haven't we seen  _ anything _ from them?” Gabriel asked. “Tracking them has been a pain in the ass. The only reason we found Ari when our Raphael had her was because we tracked my grace and now that's not even working because he doesn't have that specific grace in him anymore.”

 

“Tracking him was always our biggest pain in the ass as well,” Alternate Gabriel said. “We almost beat him once, when Lucifer’s stolen grace faded out on him. But, then he found that stupid spell book. Even then, we still managed to keep the upper hand. At least, we did until he ripped us away from each other.”

 

“The book that Chuck used to write down the spell that locked away the darkness?” Sam asked.

 

“Yes, but when he found it, the book had taken on a mind of its own. It had spawned spells of its own accord. That's how he was able to get the spell to do what he did to me and the spell to turn Ari,” Alternate Gabriel explained.

 

“How did he find the book? Gabe said that it was lost here.” Arianna asked.

 

“The Loki of our world started working with Michael, I guess for revenge on Gabriel breaking their deal, he sent what was left of his tricksters to find it. They eventually did, but we don't know where they found it. Michael killed Loki and the Tricksters that found the book as soon as they brought it to him.” Alternate Arianna.

 

“What deal?” Luke asked

 

“Probably the same one our Gabriel made with this world’s Loki,” Arianna said. “Gabriel could live under the guise of Loki as long as he stayed out of the volatile matters of his brothers.”

 

“Yes, and he was pissed when word got back to him that I was working with Ari and her brothers,” Alternate Gabriel explained.

 

“What did you mean by what was left of his Tricksters? What happened to them?” Gabriel asked.

 

“When Loki started working with Michael there were a few battles that drew lines in the sand,” Alternate Gabriel started. “Some gods and goddesses chose Loki, while others sought us out to fight with us. Loki’s Tricksters did the same. There was one in particular who had figured out who I was long before all this happened. He and I became friends over the centuries, and when the world was ending he remained loyal to me and brought other Tricksters along with him.”

 

“His name was Kaineo and he fought beside us up until that last attack when Michael…” Alternate Arianna’s words trailed off, unable to say the words to confirm their friend's demise.

 

“It sounds like you guys had your own army,” Jay said.

 

“We did, but Michael kept getting stronger and more and more...well...evil,” Alernate Arianna said sadly. “He figured out before we did that our strength came from us standing together. After a particularly bloody battle, I made the mistake of thinking my brothers and our Morpheus would be safer without us around. He took the opportunity to slaughter them. I was devastated and he was able to infiltrate us. He released fake information that Raphael caught wind of and when he and Gabriel went to check it out, he and his army attacked us at our home base. We fought him as hard as we could, but, in the end, I had to watch as he destroyed almost everyone that had chosen to fight with us. There were a few that managed to get away, but I'm sure he caught up with them eventually. Gabriel has told me that you all know the rest of our story from there.”

 

“Is there anyway at all that we can pinpoint his location before he does the same thing to us?” Dean asked.

 

“There is one, but, it’s risky,” Alternate Gabriel said.

 

“Well, what is it?” Dean asked.

 

Alternate Arianna and Alternate Gabriel looked at each other and then to Dean. They hesitated on answering the question.

 

“Guys what is it?” Luke asked.

 

“The residual grace left in Dean from when Michael possessed him,” Sam said, connecting the dots. “Cas and I attempted to track Gadreel once the same way.”

 

“Yes, and it's incredibly risky for the human. Extracting the residual grace inside of you, Dean, would be excruciatingly painful. There is no guarantee that you would survive, because we have to take all of it. That remaining grace in you may be the only thing keeping you alive,” Alternate Arianna explained.

 

“It doesn't matter, we have to try!” Dean argued.

 

“Dean, no!” Sam exclaimed.

 

“Losing you isn't worth the risk!” Arianna exclaimed.

 

“Guys, we don't have another option! We have to find Michael before he attacks!” Dean shouted.

 

“We’ll find another way!” Luke shouted back.

 

“Can anyone in this room come up with a better plan? Because if so, I'm all ears.” Dean said making eye contact with everyone in the room. He was answered with silence. “That's what I thought. We have to do this.”

 

“There may be a way to make it a little safer,” Alternate Gabriel said contemplating an idea. “The Heaven’s Bond made Ari and I stronger than we ever thought possible and the Guardian can pull an angel from their vessel without harming the vessel. I imagine that's part of the reason you aren't a vegetable right now. Maybe, if your Gabriel and Arianna are bonded, both Guardians can pull whatever grace is left in you out, safely.”

 

“That's a pretty big if, Gabe,” Alternate Arianna said.

 

“It may be the only shot we have, though,” Sam said.

 

Alternate Arianna sighed, conceding. She looked to Gabriel and Arianna. “Are the two of you ready to be bonded?” she asked.

 

Gabriel and Arianna looked at each other and smiled. 

 

“I was ready the moment I met her,” Gabriel said.

 

“Same here,” Arianna said.

 

“Then it’s settled!” Alternate Gabriel exclaimed. “Let’s get you two hitched!”

 

* * *

 

 

After deciding that the bunker would be the safest place for the Heaven’s Bond ritual, both Gabriels flew to Edmee’s with Luke and Jay to fully explain what had happened the night before and what their intentions were now. Morpheus had teleported not long after they had left with the dress Clara had given Arianna inside of an opaque dress bag. He had hung the dress on the side of her mirror and then quickly left back to Edmee’s with Sam and Dean in tow. Leaving Arianna sitting cross legged on her bed staring at the garment bag. 

 

Alternate Arianna peered inside the room as she walked by, taking in the other Arianna’s nervous expression, she walked through the open door.

 

“Pre-bonding jitters?” she asked with a smile.

 

Arianna looked over to the alternate version of herself and forced a smile.

 

“A little,” she admitted.

 

Alternate Arianna walked further into the room and sat next to her on the bed.

 

“It’s normal, I promise,” she said. “Has your Gabriel explained how the ceremony part of ritual goes? The vows? The incantation?”

 

“Yeah,” Arianna said. “He gave me a run down of everything when we first got permission, but he went into detail after he proposed last night. I didn't realize how much was involved.”

 

Alternate Arianna chuckled. “Trust me, it’s worth it.”

 

“Any advice? Anything I should prepare myself for?” Arianna asked.

 

“I don't want to give to much away, because finding out together is part of the bonding, but, be prepared for anything during the actual bonding part of the ritual. It’s intense. I can also tell you that most of the changes you will see in yourself will be gradual.”

 

“That doesn't calm my nerves,” Arianna said.

 

Alternate Arianna laughed. “The best way to calm your nerves is to take advantage of this empty bunker while everyone is at Edmee’s,” she said with a wink.

 

Arianna laughed. “That sounds like an amazing idea actually.”

 

Alternate Arianna stood up from the bed and turned. “My Gabriel just told me the others are ready to meet me, I'll send your Gabriel to you once I get there.”

 

“Before you go…” Arianna started.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What is the telepathy thing like and what about your wings?”

 

“Sorry, those are both things you have to discover together. But, I do have some advice.”

 

“What's that?”

 

“Cherish every single moment,” Alternate Arianna said, then snapped her fingers and she was gone.

  
  


* * *

 

  
  


Gabriel appeared in the middle of Arianna’s bedroom at the bunker. He looked around, slightly confused at the empty room. Where did she go? Apocalypse World Arianna had told him that his Ari was waiting in her room for him. Before he could wonder anymore the phone in his pocket rung with a text notification. He took the phone from his pocket and saw a message from his Arianna.

 

_ Meet me in the war room. _

 

He put the phone in his pocket and made his way through the bunker and into the war room. When he crossed the threshold he froze in his tracks with his mouth hanging slightly open, his cock instantly standing at attention to the sight before him. Arianna was sitting on the map table with her legs crossed and hanging off the edge at the knee, leaning back propping herself up with her arms. His eyes traveled her body taking in the seductive smile, short red and black plaid skirt, and black lace bra she wore; finally locking on her eyes.

 

“Hi,” he choked out, breathless. “You look...wow!”

 

“I remembered you saying you wanted to make a memory in this skirt, figured we could do that while everyone is gone,” she said, her lust blown eyes never leaving his. “Now get over here and make me scream,” she said, uncrossing her legs and spreading them enough to reveal to him she wasn't wearing underwear and already dripping wet for him.

 

A wolfish grin crossed his lips as he made his way over to her and placed his hands on her thighs. She watched as he ran his hands up her legs, hiking her skirt up around her waist. His hands gripped her waist and pulled her to sit straight, immediately capturing her lips with his as soon as she was close enough with her hands twisting into his hair.

 

His hands glided up her body and around her back to the clasp of her bra, quickly taking the piece of clothing off of her and throwing it to the ground. Her hands went to his jacket, pushing it down his shoulders,  his hands dropped from from her to let it fall to the floor. His shirt was next as she broke their kiss to quickly pull it up and off of him. Not wasting any time her hands were undoing his belt buckle and jeans.

 

“Somebody's eager,” he said huskily, her need for him fanning the flames of his desire.

 

She jerked his pants down as far as she could, letting his hard member spring free. “I'm always eager for you,” she said wrapping her hand around his erection and pumping up and down.

 

He grunted his approval as she stroked him. Her thumb swirled around his tip, coating it in the precum already weeping from him. She placed soft kisses and nips along his clavicle as he grew harder from her movements.

 

“Lay back,” he growled.

 

She did as she was told, watching him a he smiled approvingly at her. Her hands rested above her head as she opened her legs wide for him.

 

“Good girl,” he said snapping his fingers.

 

Suddenly what was left of his clothes disappeared from him and she felt her wrists being held tightly in place by his grace. Grabbing her hips, he pulled her ass to the very edge of the table. He bent over, supporting himself with one arm, and captured one of her nipples with his lips. She moaned out his name and arched her back as he swirled his tongue around the hardened nub. His other hand trailed up her side to her other breast and began rolling the other nipple with his fingers. She felt the shaft of his cock brush against her clit and she bucked her hips.

 

“Gabriel!” she moaned. 

 

His hand left her breast and he replaced it with his mouth as he trailed his fingertips down her body to her mound. Her body jerked as he circled her clit with his thumb pulling yet another loud moan from her. He swiftly stuck two fingers inside of her and then slowly started to pump them in and out of her. She writhed and screamed underneath him, begging him to go harder and faster. He added a third finger and obliged her requests, slamming his digits inside of her.

 

He pulled his mouth away from her, watching her as she met every thrust of his fingers with the buck of her hips. He reveled in her screaming his name as she squirmed, he loved seeing her come undone for him. Never breaking the rhythm of his fingers, he dropped to his knees and sucked her clit into his mouth. She instantly screamed as her release hit her hard and fast.

 

Without giving her time to recover, he stood, removing his fingers from her and roughly thrusting his cock inside of her. She screamed his name again. He moaned her name as her muscles clenched around him. Gripping her hips tightly, he impaled himself inside of her over and over and over again. Both of them moaning the others name as they soared towards their release. 

 

He grabbed her legs pushing them as far towards her as he could, spreading them wide. The new position causing him to piston into her deeper, hitting her sweet spot with every hard snap of his hips. Her eyes squeezed shut as she screamed for him again.

 

“Open your eyes, Sugar,” he said, his voice low and full of desire. “I want to look into those pretty blue eyes while I fuck you.”

 

Her eyes snapped open. Staring into her sapphire lust blown orbs he thrust into her faster. He could feel her velvet walls squeeze him harder as she spiraled over the edge screaming his name, begging him not to stop. A few more thrusts and he was coming undone with her. Her muscles squeezed him tighter as he fucked her through their release, milking him until there was nothing left. 

 

Slowly, he stilled inside of her, letting her legs fall back to the table as he bent over her, capturing her lips with his as he pulled out of her. The grace holding her wrists in place released and she threaded her fingers into his hair. He pulled away from the kiss and pressed their foreheads together.

 

“What did I do to deserve someone as amazing as you?” he asked.

 

“I ask myself the same question about you all time.” she answered.

 

* * *

 

 

Edmee sat at her kitchen table with Apocalypse World Arianna and Apocalypse World Gabriel. Remy, Jack, and Castiel stood behind the old woman, peering at the other worlders with skepticism. The Winchesters and The Lawson twins were behind the alternate versions of the Archangel and the Guardian, trying to show the support their Arianna had reassured them they should show. 

 

“Are we sure there is no lingering effects of the spell?” Remy asked. “Her hair  _ is  _ still red and the spell wasn't broken the way it was supposed to be broken.”

 

“The spell is broken,” Edmee replied. “Michael no longer has any power over her.”

 

“But how? Things are never that easy.” Castiel said.

 

“Love is a very powerful emotion. You can cover it up and try to push it away, but true love will always come through in the end,” Edmee said, smiling at the other world’s Gabriel and Arianna.

 

“You gotta admit, Mamé, that sounds like a really cheesy chick flick,” Remy retorted.

 

“Maybe so, but it’s the truth. Of course, sharing a Heaven’s Bond with an Archangel helps, too.” Edmee said.

 

Sensing the lingering reluctance in the room Edmee stood. She turned and ushered the three behind her over to stand with the others.

 

“OK, that's enough of this,” she said placing her hands on her hips. “We are all filled in on everything and we all know what needs to happen. I want  _ all  _ of you boys outside helping Morpheus prepare for tonight. He knows what needs to happen and he will tell you what to do. Now, go.” 

 

The men looked at her and then at each other, all reluctant to leave the old woman alone with the other worlders.

 

“I said  _ now!”  _ she said with a little more authority.

 

Her boys sighed, but one by one started to exit the room, Jay bringing up the end of the line. Edmee looked to Alternate Gabriel still sitting next to his wife.

 

“That means you too, Gabriel,” she said.

 

He looked to her with wide eyes. “But-”

 

“No buts!” the Cajun woman said. “You've done this before and already know how this works, your help is needed.” 

 

“Don't even try to argue, man” Jay said stopping at the doorway to look at the Archangel. “Trust me, you won't win.” he smiled at Edmee and then exited.

 

Alternate Gabriel looked at his Arianna skeptically, not wanting to leave her. She placed a hand on the side of his face.

 

“It’s OK, Gabe,” she said reassuringly. “You know how important this night will be to them. Go help make it special.

 

He nodded and then turned his head to place a kiss on her wrist. Finally he rose and made his way out of the room.

 

“He’s afraid, you know,” Edmee said once the Archangel was gone. “Afraid of losing you again.”

 

“I know.”

 

Edmee made her way back around the table and took her original seat across from the other world Guardian.

 

“Edmee,” Alternate Arianna said with guilt in her eyes. “I'm sorry for...I never would have..”

 

“I know, dear,” Edmee said sweetly. “You weren't acting of your own accord. I promise, you are forgiven.”

 

She nodded at the old woman. “Are you sure it’s all gone?” she asked. “It does worry me that my hair didn't go back to blonde. Gabe and I have both tried to change it, but, obviously, it didn't work.”

 

“Magic that dark, and that strong, always leaves a mark. Sometimes it’s visible and sometimes it isn't. It doesn't mean you are still under the spell.”

 

Arianna smiled weakly at her. She looked at the old woman, her concerned diamond blue eyes sparking a long forgotten memory.

 

“You know, we met once,” the other world guardian recounted, memories filling her mind. “Well, the you of my world that is. It was before I knew for sure that Gabriel was Gabriel. I was starting to question who he was and you gave me the book that led me to my answer. I think somehow you knew who we were and what we would become. You gave me advice that kept me from running out of fear,” 

 

Edmee smiled. “I'm very glad that me could help you.”

 

“I am, too.”

 

“Tell me dear, do you believe this plan your Gabriel has come up with will work?” Edmee asked, changing the subject.

 

“We will be able to track Michael with the grace we pull from Dean,” Alternate Arianna said. “But, I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried for his safety. Being possessed by an Archangel normally leaves the person no more responsive than a vegetable, that residual grace may be the only thing keeping him vertical. I could be wrong, they have explained how they got Michael out of him and with your Gabriel and Arianna’s power running through him at the time, it could have healed him.”

 

“Will my Arianna be strong enough to help you?”

 

“Yes, she will get a surge of strength from the initial bonding that will make her strong enough. We will have to act quickly though. That surge doesn't last forever before her body adapts, she will eventually surpass that initial strength, but it will take her some time to master it. At least this time, her Gabriel will be able to help her with the use of her powers a little more.”

 

“Have you discussed anything about your Raphael still in Akashic?”

 

“My Gabriel and I have. Neither of us think I will be able to pull him out until his grace returns to him. Not that it would matter at the moment. Pulling an angel from Akashic takes  _ a lot  _ of energy, and I know I'm not yet recovered enough from the spell to do it.”

 

“Do you have enough energy to pull the grace from Dean?”

 

“Yes, I'm sure of that, and with your Arianna there as well, the energy and power to do so won't be an issue.”

 

“And the defeating of Michael?”

 

Alternate Arianna sighed. “Michael has been twisted into something that doesn't care about the pain he inflicts to accomplish his mission. He thinks he is ridding this world of sin the same way he thought he was to ours, but he sees the entire world as sin. He has an army of 300 or more angels behind him in this world.”

 

“So, you doubt our ability to win?”

 

“No, I doubt all of us making it out alive.” Alternate Arianna admitted with sorrow. “We have lost so many of the ones we love and I fear the blood shed isn't over yet. I know you feel that, too. That's why you're asking.”

 

“You got me there. I have seen  _ at least _ one more death, but with the way the cosmic laws have been bent and stretched, my visions aren't as clear these days. It worries me.”

 

“It does me, too. The cosmic laws for our universes are there for a reason. Just one of us being in this world can cause tears no one can fix. With so many of us here, we are lucky this world hasn't imploded on itself. The quicker we kill Michael, the better off we are.”

 

“Then, we better get this show on the road,” Edmee said standing.

 

She walked over to the younger woman and led her to stand up, hooking their arms together. She smiled at her and the other world Guardian couldn't help but return the gesture.

 

“I have faith that our ragtag group of hunters and angels will be able to pull this off,” Edmee said with confidence. “We will save our world, and yours, too. But, you must promise me one thing, dear.”

 

“Anything.”

 

“Promise me you will be careful. My visions may be obscured at the moment but I can sense the wonderful change within you, change I'm sure you have felt. I know it’s not an option for you to take a back seat, but, please, be careful.”

 

“You have my word.”

 

* * *

 

 

The Winchesters, The Lawson twins, Both Gabriels, Jack, Remy, and Castiel stood in the kitchen of the bunker. Upon returning from Edmee’s, Morpheus had fully taken control of the situation and kicked the men and the angels out of the library so he, Clara, and a reluctant Shawn could set up for the ceremony part of the Heaven’s Bond. Alternate Arianna and Edmee had whisked Arianna off to her room to help her get ready.

 

Dean sighed, annoyed at having been told what to do in his own home, as he went to the fridge and started pulling out beers for everyone. Sam joined him, and together they passed around the drinks.

 

“I can't believe we got banished from the room like 5 year olds,” Dean complained. 

 

“Come on, Dean,” Remy said smiling at him. “Morph is basically setting up for a wedding we threw together in less than 48 hours.”

 

“Is it really a wedding though? Sounds more like a spell that intertwines their powers.” Dean said.

 

“That's only part of it, Dean,” Alternate Gabriel said. “I refer to my Ari as my wife and she calls me her husband. They are literally pledging themselves to each other for all eternity. It is very much a marriage in that sense. No, the actual bond doesn't require all the extras that Morph has thrown in, but it makes the process mean more because it involves all of you. The bond all of you share as family is just as important as the one your Gabriel and Arianna are about to make.” 

 

“He has a point,” Jay said in agreement. “Family means a lot to Ari.”

 

“And it will make her happy that Morph has done what he's done,” Gabriel added.

 

“Why aren't you guys getting ready?” Alternate Arianna asked as she entered the kitchen, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

The men and the angels turned to look at her, finding her in a simple, long baby blue evening gown. She was looking at them expectantly, wide disapproving eyes on their casual t-shirts and jeans.

 

“Damn, baby!” Alternate Gabriel exclaimed as he walked over and slipped his arm around her waist, she couldn't help but return the joyful gaze he gave her. “You're looking  _ fine!  _ You got a date to this thing?”

 

Alternate Arianna giggled. “I was thinking about going with my husband.”

 

“Damn, he’s one lucky guy!” Alternate Gabriel said and placed a kiss on her lips.

 

“Come on guys!” Dean exclaimed, the rest snickering at his reaction. “No PDA role play in the common areas! Between you two and our Gabe and Ari, you're going to give everyone cavities.”

 

“You're just jealous, Dean-o,” Gabriel said.

 

Dean rolled his eyes.

 

“What did you mean by us getting ready?” Jack asked.

 

Alternate Arianna pulled away from her Archangel and took in the confused looks in the room.

 

“You're kidding me right?” she asked. “You all aren't planning on wearing t-shirts to this are you?” she pointed at Gabriel. “Especially not you!”

 

“Well, we have our FBI stuff,” Luke offered.

 

Alternate Arianna’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh, God, No!” she quickly turned to her Gabriel. “Gabe! You know better! Fix this!” she exclaimed, her voice high.

 

He smiled and put his hands on her hips, kissing her again. “Of course, my love. Go finish helping Arianna get ready and I'll take care of this bunch. What color is her dress?”

 

She smiled at him. “Imperial purple and gold.”

 

“Consider it taken care of.”

 

“Thank you,” She said and quickly pressed her lips to his. 

 

“You're welcome.”

 

He watched her until she was gone from the room and then turned to the others, holding up his hand posed to snap his fingers.

 

“Who wants to go first?”

 

* * *

 

 

Arianna stood looking at herself in a full length mirror Apocalypse World Arianna had snapped up inside her bedroom at the bunker. She had just finished putting on the dress Clara had given her for the occasion. It was an Imperial purple, long dress with a tulle neckline. Golden jewels clustered on the top of the sheer fabric at her shoulders and rained down just past the low cut neckline. A thick belt of gold fabric wrapped around her waist, the rest of the dress flowing freely from there almost to the floor. The elegant gold high heels she wore barely peeked out from the beneath the dress. As she stared at herself, trying to take it all in, a knock at her door pulled her attention.

 

“Come in,” she said.

 

She smiled when her brothers walked through the door wearing black tuxedos with accents of purple that matched her dress.

 

“Wow, Ari!” Jay said. “You look beautiful!”

 

“Yeah, sis, you look amazing!” Luke added.

 

“You two don't look so bad yourselves. Where did you get the tuxis though?”

 

“The other Gabriel zapped them up at his wife’s request,” Luke explained. “She seemed pretty upset that we were wearing jeans and t-shirts.”

 

Arianna laughed. “Remind me to thank her for that later.” she turned to look at herself in the mirror again. “Who would have thought four months ago that we would be here?” she asked, looking back on the events that had led them to this point.

 

“I sure as hell didn't,” Luke said, he and Jay moved to stand beside her.

 

She linked each of her arms with one of theirs and rested her head on Luke’s shoulder.

 

“Thank you both, for everything,” she said.

 

“You know we always got your back, sis.” Luke said and kissed her on the top of her head.

 

“Yeah, that will never change,” Jay added.

 

“Are you nervous?” Luke asked.

 

“I was earlier, but not anymore. I almost feel like I've been waiting for this my whole life.”

 

Her brothers smiled at her in the mirror.

 

“Well, then let’s get you out there so you don't have to wait anymore,” Jay said.

 

* * *

 

 

The library had been transformed. All the tables and chairs had been moved out of the room except for a small table that had been placed in the center of the space. It had a golden cushion on the surface which held the silver bonding rings. White Calla Lilies surrounded the cushion. All along the walls and the shelves of the book cases were chains of the same white flowers. Small rose gold candles hovered high in the air, their flames flickering in the dimmed lighting. 

 

The Winchesters, the other worlders, the dream god and his family, Gabriel, Castiel, Jack, Edmee, and Remy were gathered chatting with one another while they waited for The Lawson twins to bring their sister. Edmee happily commented on the tuxedos Apocalypse World Gabriel had conjured up for all the men, all of them black with imperial purple accents, except for Gabriel’s that had gold accents.

 

The sound of Jay and Luke clearing their throats pulled everyone's attention to the threshold of the room, where the twins stood with their sister between them. Each of them holding one of her hands. Smiles and compliments were heard around the room. As Gabriel made his way through the crowd beaming at her, Jay kissed his sister’s hand he was holding and then released her. Luke held on until Gabriel was standing in front of them, the Archangel held out his hand for Arianna to take.

 

Arianna and Luke looked at each other. He smiled at his sister and then kissed her hand. She returned his gesture as he took her hand and placed it into Gabriel’s, then pulled his hand away. Gabriel pulled her to him and slipped his arm around her waist.

 

“You're beautiful,” he said and kissed her. “You ready for this?”

 

Arianna laughed and cupped the side of his face with her hand. “Absolutely.”

 

Gabriel led Arianna over to the small table that held the bonding rings. They stood in front of it facing each other. Gabriel took both of her hands into his as their family and friends gathered around them.

 

“Last chance to run for the hills,” Gabriel joked.

 

She laughed. “I'm not running anywhere.”

 

Gabriel let go of one of her hands and reached over to pick up both rings. She held up her hand and he placed the silver bonding ring he would wear in the palm of her hand. He held his hand up with the ring she would wear in the palm of his hand. The elegant Enochian etching on each band began to shine brightly with pale blue light. The world seemed to fade away from them as they looked into each others eyes.

 

“Arianna, I'm not entirely sure what I did to deserve you, but whatever it was I'm glad I did it. Part of me knew the moment I laid eyes on you that I would forever be yours. You reminded me what happiness is and showed me just how strong love can be. I vow to you that I will spend the rest of our forever returning that sentiment. I vow that I will always protect you and stand beside you no matter the situation,” Gabriel said lifting her left hand he was holding and positioning the ring at the end of her ring finger, ready to slide it on to join the tanzanite with diamond accent ring she already wore and then spoke in Enochian. “Dalagare zomdv mononusa?”

 

“Dalagare elasa en mononusa,” Arianna said in response.

 

They both smiled as he slid the ring on her finger to join the other one and laced their fingers together.

 

“Gabriel, I never saw you coming. Even after you dropped into what I thought was a dream, I still questioned it. But, the first time I looked into your eyes, that was it, I was always going to be yours. You give me peace and a strength that I never thought possible. I vow that I will always be that for you as well. I vow that you will never be alone again, because come what may, we will face it together,” she said and released the hand she was holding and then lifted his left hand as he had done to her. She positioned the ring she held to slide onto his ring finger and spoke in perfect Enochian. “Dalagare zomdv mononusa?”

 

“Dalagare elasa en mononusa,” he said in response.

 

They both smiled lovingly at each other as she slid the ring on his finger. Rays of pale blue light erupted from the Enochian symbols on the rings, enveloping them in their glow. The gleaming energy twisted and wrapped around their bodies, illuminating brighter as they did. Slowly the light began to fade as it absorbed into them. When the light show had ceased and the rings lost their glow as well, Gabriel pulled Arianna to him and placed a deep, slow kiss to her lips. Gradually the cheers and applause from their family seeped into their conscious minds and they broke the kiss to look at them.

 

Beaming, Morpheus turned to Alternate Gabriel. “Do you mind?” he asked holding up his hand, miming like he was holding a glass.

 

Alternate Gabriel winked at him and snapped his fingers. Suddenly everyone in the room held a champagne flute filled with the appropriate liquid. Morpheus held his glass up.

 

“Congratulations Gabriel and Arianna, I wish you all the love and happiness that is possible,” he said a proud smile upon his features “I truly couldn't be happier for you, my friends, my family. Cherish every single moment.” he shared a knowing look with his friends and turned his attention back to the whole room. “To Gabriel and Arianna!” he exclaimed and took a drink from his glass, everyone else in the room following suit.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel and Arianna appeared in her bedroom at Edmee’s a few hours later. He held her close to him as she looked around a little perplexed.

 

“Why did you bring us here?” she asked.

 

“Ideally, I would have whisked you off to some foreign tropical destination for this part because it warrants a little more privacy than the bunker full of people can offer. But, situations being what they are, that's not a very safe option. We are both going to need a little time to recover once this is done and I need to know you are safe while that happens. Morpheus, the other Gabriel, and I increased the warding around this place to ensure nothing will be able to find us here,” he explained.

 

Arianna nodded and shifted nervously in his arms.

 

“Are you alright, Sugar?” he asked, suddenly concerned.

 

“Yeah, I'm fine. I just….I'm…” she paused trying to find the words for what she was feeling. “It’s almost like this is my first time all over again.”

 

“Well, technically, this is a first for both of us,” he smiled and kissed her forehead. “I'm nervous, too.” 

 

“You don't act like it.”

 

“Well, isn't that how this whole marriage thing works? I'm your strength when you are weak and you are mine when I am?” 

 

She smiled at him through her nerves. “What do we do now?”

 

“Just trust me,” he said reassuringly.

 

“Always, my love,” she said, his reassurance calming her.

 

He smiled and rolled his shoulders. Suddenly his golden wings burst into full view, their brilliance making the whole room shine with magnificent golden hues. She watched in complete awe as he unfurled them. Just as she had thought they would the first time she seen them, they expanded the entire length of the room. A comforting warmth filled the space as his wings fluttered and vibrated from being stretched out.  He smiled as he watched her taking in every detail of his outstretched wings. He waited patiently until her eyes finally made it back to his, all sense of her apprehension now completely gone.

 

“I'm going to wrap my wings around us,” he explained and waited for her to nod her understanding. “Once that happens you will start to feel my grace inside you. Just keep your mind open to me and trust me. Your going to feel some pressure as your soul reacts to my grace.”

 

She nodded again and watched as his magnificent wings wrapped around them, the soft warm feathers brushing against her skin almost as if they were asking for permission. She closed her eyes, completely opening her mind to him. His grace flooded in from his feathers all throughout her body, crashing in on her like waves cresting the shore. A tightness formed in her chest, she could feel his grace touching her soul, coaxing it to react.

 

She opened her eyes, now shining with her own violet power, into his. His eyes and whole body was glowing with his grace, his wings sparkling like golden jewels. Her soul and her power both uncoiled within her at the same time, rushing through her veins into him, making her body gleam with a violet hue and finally mixing with his grace. Pulling her closer to him, he pressed their lips together. Their separate powers twisted around each other as the surge flew through both of them. They both felt it, the overwhelming wholeness the moment that it stopped being  _ his  _ grace,  _ her _ power,  _ her _ soul and everything became became one. Once again the rings on their fingers shone brightly with a pale blue light, surrounding them both and slowly absorbing into their skin.

 

When the lights had faded away and his wings had disappeared from view, they were sitting on the floor on their knees, holding on to one another. At some point their kiss had broken, but they still sat with their foreheads pressed together, eyes still closed. Both of them breathing hard from what they had just experienced together. They opened their eyes and locked onto each other’s gaze.

 

“That was intense,” Arianna said, breathless.

 

A low chuckle escaped his lips. “It’s not over yet,” he said and rose to his feet, taking her with him. “Gotta seal the deal, Sugar.”

 

Not giving her time to react, he pulled her into his arms and pressed a searing kiss to her lips. She responded and wound her fingers into his hair as he walked her back towards the bed. Just before the back of her knees connected with the mattress he snapped his fingers. All of their clothes were now on the floor and they were laying on the bed, Gabriel on top.

 

He slid his tongue into her mouth as a hand traveled down her body, pausing to show her breast some attention before he continued down between her legs. Her hands gripped onto his shoulders. His thumb circled her clit and she bucked her hips into him.

 

“Gabriel!” she moaned, breaking their kiss.

 

He dipped two fingers inside of her, working them in and out. Smiling, he watched as she moaned and writhed beneath him until she came hard around his fingers. Slowly, he pulled his digits from her and kissed her lovingly.

 

“Are you ready for this?” he asked.

 

“Yes, Gabriel. Make me yours, now and forever.”

 

He grinned and slowly slid his hard cock inside of her, his golden wings bursting back into view as he did. Without hesitation she dove her fingers into the soft, warm feathers at the base of his wings. He groaned her name loudly as his head dropped to her shoulder. As if by instinct her fingers explored the most sensitive parts of his wings, and he started to drive into her. He bit into her neck making her scream and clench her fists, and she heard him growl with pleasure from the pressure she exerted on his wings.

 

He pulled his head from her neck to look into her eyes, both of them began to shine with their now shared power. His movement increased in speed, building the pressure inside them. Arianna wrapped her legs around his waist, the slight change in position allowing him to piston into her deeper. He hit her sweet spot with every thrust, pushing her closer and closer toward her release.

 

“Gabriel!” she gasped. “Oh, Gabriel! Harder! Please, I'm so close!”

 

She screamed his name as he started to piston into her hard. His thrust started to become erratic as he grew closer to his own release. Her velvet walls clenched in orgasam and he was instantly sent into his own. They both screamed and moaned the others name as he worked them through their shared release. The glow around them began to fade as he stilled inside of her. Once the lights had dissipated his wings slowly rippled back to their invisible state.

 

Gabriel moved himself to lay beside her on the bed and then quickly pulled her into his arms, her head resting on his chest. He felt her still trying to catch her breath.

 

“Are you OK?” he asked tilting his head to look down at her.

 

She raised her head and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I'm fantastic,” she said with a smile. “I'm really tired though.”

 

He chuckled. “That's to be expected.” his hand reached up to cup the side of her face. “Just sleep, Sugar. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

 

He placed another kiss to her lips before she lowered her head back to his chest and quickly drifted off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Michael fell to the ground on his hands and knees, his hands digging into the dirt of the wooded area he was in. His chest tightened as the shockwave of energy rolled through the forest. He had felt this power before and he yelled out in anger as he realized what had happened. 

 

Another angel, clad in a black and gray digital camo jumpsuit, suddenly appeared and placed an arm around Michael’s shoulders. His dark brown eyes widening in shock. He ran a hand through his black hair trying to find the safest words for the situation.

 

“Michael, sir, what has happened?” the angel asked.

 

Michael lifted a hand to the other angels chest and blasted him backwards into a cluster of trees. The trees groaned and cracked from the force.

 

“Do not ever touch me again!” Michael bellowed as he pushed himself to stand. “Get up!” he ordered.

 

The other angel scrambled to his feet as fast as he could.

 

“The Gabriel and the Guardian of this world have bonded,” Michael stated. “I have lost my Guardian and now there are  _ two _ sets of them in this world!” Michael shouted.

 

The other angel looked at Michael with questions in his eyes.

 

“The Gabriel from our world is alive?”

 

Michael's eyes widened, realizing he had said too much. He stalked toward the angel and grabbed him by the throat.

 

“He still abandoned you, Malachi!” Michael lied. “I picked you up when you were nothing and brought you under my wings! You  _ all _ would have died had I not saved you!”

 

Malachi pulled at Michael’s grip around his throat with his hands. “Sir! I am loyal only to you!”

 

“You better be!” Michael said and threw the angel to the ground.

 

Michael spun on his heel to walk away from the angel, not realizing that when he did his Archangel blade slipped from his long coat he wore. Malachi hesitantly started to reach for the blade.

 

“Sir! You-” the angel started.

 

“I saved all of you that so foolishly chose to follow my useless brothers,” Michael raged, ignoring the angel on the ground. “I should have sucked the power from the lot of you when I disposed of them!” Michael continued his rant, not noticing the wheels in Malachi’s head starting to turn. “But, no, I put distance between you and Gabriel’s misguided vision of a peaceful future with the humans! THAT WORTHLESS HUMAN BITCH POISONED HIS MIND!!!! I had to tear them apart! I HAD TO MAKE YOU FORGET THE FOOLISH LIES!!!” As Michael screamed Malachi watched him with anger beginning to burn deep within him. “You  _ all _ thought you could stop me! But I still destroyed the abominations of our world! I will do the same to this one!” It was apparent that Michael’s resolve was fraying, he didn't realize what he was confessing to the other angel.

 

A wall that had been built around memories in Malachi’s mind began to crumble. Memories that he didn't even know he had forgotten. He had been working with the Gabriel and the Guardian of his world. He remembered their army of hunters, Tricksters, gods, and angels. He remembered setting aside differences and fighting for their right to exist. The number of angels had started out small, but once Raphael had joined them, their numbers began to grow. The Archangels and the Guardian had led them against Michael, led them on the mission to save their world. 

 

_ And they were winning _ .

 

Michael had been scared and called on ancient magic to tear them apart. He had started to fight dirty and killed the people Gabriel and the Guardian had held most dear. When that didn't work he had released false information to his whereabouts. As soon as Raphael and Gabriel had left, the evil Archangel attacked.

 

The night was still mostly a blur, but Malachi could remember the blood and the screams. He could recall hunters, gods, Tricksters, and angels fighting side by side with the Guardian. But, Michael had been prepared. Angelic bombs had been thrown, quickly taking out the humans and some of the weaker gods. The bombs had weakened the angels and the Guardian. Their only hope had been to retreat. 

 

Arianna.

 

Malachi had called her Ari like the rest of her friends.

 

They had been _friends_! 

 

She had tried to get as many out as possible in that final bloody attack, but, in the end, most had died. It was him, a small handful of angels, two Pagan gods, one Trickster named Kaino, and the Guardian in the end. 

 

The last thing Malachi could remember was Arianna making a deal with Michael. She would let him take her captive if he let the others go. She had sacrificed herself to save them. But, of course, Michael didn't hold up his end of the bargain and he took control of the remaining angels, Malachi included.

 

Tears stung Malachi’s eyes as he stared at Michael’s back as the Archangel yelled words of frustration. More memories that Michael had made him forget flooded his senses. The things the twisted Archangel had made him do crashed in on him. The lives he had taken, and the pain he had caused to his father’s greatest creation under his control threatened to drown him. 

 

_ Michael had to be stopped. _

 

Malachi looked down at the Archangel blade laying on the ground before him. He knew what he had to do. Carefully he reached out and wrapped his hand around the handle of the blade. Quickly he lifted the blade and hid it inside his jumpsuit. Then he stood, his original mission finally clear again. He took a breath and placed a neutral expression on his face.

 

“Sir!” he said loudly.

 

Michael abruptly stopped in his rambling and turned on the angel.

 

“WHAT?!” He bellowed.

 

“Might I suggest something?” Malachi kept his voice calm.

 

“GET ON WITH IT!”

 

“We still have some time before the real power of the bond sets in on the Guardian of this world. It will be my honor to rid you of her before she becomes a problem. The Gabriel of this world and the hunters they work with will be so distraught by her death, it will be nothing for you to wipe them out. Let me prove my loyalty to you.”

 

“Very well,” Michael said. “You have 48 hours.”

 

* * *

 

 

A surge of energy shot through Arianna and her eyes shot open. She was laying with her head on Gabriel’s chest and she could feel his eyes on her. Slowly, she realized that she was seeing and feeling things differently than she had the night before. The morning sun drifting through the windows weren't just rays anymore, they were beams of sparkling hues of yellows and golds. The entire room was in such stark detail she wasn't sure if she was actually seeing it. She could feel every individual thread of the blanket that laid on top of her body and when she turned her eyes to look at it, the richness of the royal purple took her breath away.

 

She could feel rather than hear the hum of the warm and comforting power surging through her veins. What had once been hers and Gabriel’s separate powers now swirled as one inside of her. Suddenly she felt a hint of worry creep into her mind, but it wasn't hers. She quickly realized it was Gabriel’s. She hadn't said a word since her eyes opened, and she took in all the new details of her world. She could feel her silence was making him apprehensive. She turned her head to him with every intention of calming his fears, but when her eyes met his she gasped.

 

She had always thought his eyes beautiful, but now, she could see every hue and facet of the golden whiskey color. The darkness of the limbal ring seemed to swirl with stars around the beautiful liquid amber of his eyes. Flecks of pure gold seemed to swim in the amber depths, and the intensity of his gaze made them almost glow.

 

“Gabriel!” she whispered.

 

Slowly her eyes moved from his eyes to the the rest of his features, that she had once thought she had memorized. But, now, it seemed like she was taking them all in for the first time. She tentatively reached up and ran her fingers through his golden brown locks, feeling every luxuriously soft strand as they caressed her fingers.

 

“Gabriel...you're beautiful,” she said breathlessly.

 

A smile broke over his now remarkably defined lips and she felt his worry slip away as he circled his arms around her.

 

“Right back at ya, Sugar,” he said.

 

She shuddered as the silkiness of his voice washed over her.

 

“Is this what it’s like for you?” she asked.

 

“It can be. I tone it down most of the time. The sensations can become overwhelming with too much stimulus around,” he explained. “I’ll have to teach you how to do that before we go back to the others. Don't worry, it’s very simple.”

 

She nodded. 

 

“But first,” he said as his smile turned seductive. He quickly rolled, putting her underneath him and settled himself between her legs. “I'm taking advantage of you being super sensitive,” he said and pressed his lips to hers.

 

* * *

 

 

Malachi flew as fast as he could from state to state searching for the familiar power signature of his Guardian and his Gabriel. He was becoming frantic. He knew the protective warding they would have placed around themselves, and the ones from this world, would be strong, but he never imagined it would cover any trace of them. Michael had already called upon him to check on his progress once. Twenty four hours had already passed by, and to say the Archangel was getting impatient would have been a grave understatement.

 

He had lied and told him he had located this world’s Guardian and that he was just waiting for the right opportunity. He inwardly flinched at the bloody fate he was sure to meet if he didn't find his brother and his wife in time. Roughly, he pushed the thought away, fear wasn't something he had the luxury of feeling right now. There was no other option but to find them and tell them what he knee. The truth would be the key to finally ending this war that now spread across two worlds. He would not let this world become what his had. It was time for the good guys to take back the control Michael had ripped away with blood and lies.

 

Anxiety and desperation burned through him like wildfire, but his determination urged him to press on. Finally, out of nowhere he felt them. It was a brief glimpse and he clung to it as long as he could, urgently trying to pinpoint the location before it disappeared again, praying to his long lost father that Michael hadn't felt it too. A triumphant smile crossed his lips as the town of Franklin, Nebraska and the image of a small house in the middle of nowhere crossed his mind.

 

Renewed hope flooded him as he increased his speed, barreling toward his new destination.

 

* * *

 

 

The plan had been made rather quickly for once. Everyone knew the steps that were going to be taken had to be made. There was no time for arguing anymore. They had one shot and no clue of how long they had to take it. Together, they decided to divide and conquer. The fate of two worlds was hanging in the balance this time.

 

Extracting what was left of Michael’s grace from Dean was going to be a grueling process and had to be done with the utmost care. One slip up from either of the Guardians could spell disaster for all of them. With that in mind, the Lawson twins, Remy, and Jack had returned with Edmee to her house to prepare for the tracking spell they would need to perform to find Michael. 

 

The Winchesters, Castiel, and both sets of Archangels and Guardians had taken to a safe house the Lawson siblings had in Franklin, Nebraska. The power surge that would come when extracting the grace would likely wipe out any and all warding on the bunker and Edmee’s house had they did it at either location. So, they had no choice but to take the risk of being vulnerable for a brief moment.

 

Currently, Sam, Castiel, both Gabriels, and the other world Guardian were outside of the small safe house placing temporary warding to hide them until the last possible second. Dean and the Arianna of this world were inside preparing for what was about to take place. They would have to tie Dean down during the extraction to prevent any harm that might come from his body thrashing against the pain that would invade his being. The method they were using would be more painful than any of them had ever experienced for the eldest Winchester.

 

The cousins had moved a long wooden table to the center of the small living room and together they had attached ropes to each of the legs. When Dean removed his leather belt and placed it on the table to be placed in his mouth during the process in order to prevent damage to his teeth when his jaws clenched, Arianna couldn't help the tears that began streaming down her face. Dean quickly grabbed her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

 

“Ari, it's going to be OK,” he said as reassuringly as he could.

 

“You can't promise me that, Dean!” she said as she roughly pulled away from him. “What if I'm not strong enough?! What if we do this and we still can't beat him?! What if we still end up losing everyone just like the other world Gabriel and Arianna did?!” she choked on her sobs as she crumbled to the floor sitting on her knees. “I can't lose any of you! I won't survive it!”

 

In an instant, Dean was sitting on the floor pulling her against his chest and wrapping his arms around her.

 

“Ari,” he started, fighting back his own tears. “You’re right, I can't promise you that it’s all going to be OK. I wish I could tell you than when this is all over we are going to take one big family vacation to some beach somewhere and that we will laugh about how we doubted ourselves over cocktails with umbrellas floating in them,” he swallowed a sob that threatened to escape. “But, I can't. What I can promise you is that every single one of us is going to fight like hell to stay alive and save  _ both _ of our worlds. I can promise you that we will face this fight together. But, you have to promise me something.”

 

She pulled away to look into his eyes.

 

“What?” she asked, trying to control her ragged breathing.

 

“You have to promise me that you will never give up, that you will never stop fighting. You have to promise me that you will believe in yourself. You have proven time and time again that you are strong enough to do this.”

 

She wiped her tears. Doubt still raged inside of her, but she nodded, doing her best to push it away.

 

“Besides, we still haven't got the chance to absorb the whole us being cousins thing. Sam told mom about you guys when he and Gabe took Steven to hide out with her and she's dying to meet the three of you.” 

 

A small laugh escaped Arianna’s mouth. “Yeah, I guess we haven't really got to deal with all of that. I would really like to meet your mom.”

 

Dean pulled her back into his arms.

 

“Then that's one more thing to fight for and that's something that Michael doesn't have.”

 

He hugged her tightly until her tears had stopped and he helped her back to her feet. Dean opened his mouth to speak again but Apocalypse World Arianna’s fury filled voice ripped through the calmness of the house from outside, causing the lights to flicker and the house to shake.

 

“FUCKING TRAITOR!!!”

 

Dean and Arianna traded urgent looks as they ran out the front door to find the other world Guardian pinning a man to the ground with her knees digging into his arms and an angel blade pressed to his jugular. Both Gabriels, Castiel, and Sam came running from the side of the house and got to the other world Guardian at the same time as Dean and Arianna. The other world Gabriel’s eyes grew wide when he saw the man pinned to the ground.

 

He quickly flew to his wife and grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to pull her off of the man. She violently jerked away from him.

 

“No!” she shouted. “He betrayed us, Gabriel! He chose Michael! He watched as Michael poisoned me with Aeshma’s blood!” She glared down at the man beneath her. “Time to die, Malachi!” she raised her blade high above her head.

 

“No!” Malachi screamed. “Arianna, please! I was brainwashed, just like you! Please, hear me out! I'm here to help you!”

 

“Give me one good reason why should I believe you!!” she said darkly.

 

“Because I know how to break the spell holding Raphael in Akashic!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and sticking with this story so far!! If you are enjoying this, then check out my other works! Love to all of you!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!


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